Aportes teóricos sobre el rol de la propiedad comunal en la transición al capitalismo

Abstract

This research work is aimed at the approach to the communal ownership role during the transition from feudalism to capitalism in Europe on the basis of the disorganisation dynamics in the dominant mode of production. We start from the idea that transition does not imply the suppression of the components in the former mode of production, but their existence and even their strengthening on modified grounds. For instance, the prevalence of rural modes of production, in which collective ownership constitutes one of their major material support foundations. However, this is a complex process which is not free from ambiguities. Domestic corruption within the village community, with the resulting partial proletarization of its labour force, is closely connected to the offensive against the commune lands. However, within the studied period the phenomenon is not absolute, because while village producers are suffering a progressive loss of lands, there is a reinforcement of feudal relations, in which soil is under cultivation. Contradictions in the historical development force historians into a dialectic approach that accounts for this special feature. A critical dialogue along with the theoretical contributions by agricultural sociology and rural antropology provide a stimulus to this research.