Social inequality in agriculture: the Alentejo from the 1930s to the 1960s

Abstract

This article takes a critical look at certain interpretations of how rural Alentejo society was formed. These interpretations, as we understand them, overemphasize the extent and the meaning of the social polarization between the latifundist class and the majority stratum made up of agricultural workers. While not denying that the opposition of rich and poor is one of the factors which contribute to social inequality in rural areas, we believe that it fails to take into account all the social facts of the latifundist system. Using census data, we conclude that between the 1930s and the 1950s there was a varied set of intermediate social positions which do not fit adequately into a system of dichotomous classification.