From immobility to accelerate change in peasant societie

Abstract

One of the characteristics traditionally attributed to the peasant societies is its apparent immobility. In fact, changes in those societies where, in past years, extremely slow ones. In present times, however, and namely in Western Europe, rural environment is being submitted to fast and deep changes. Such changes, wich were mainly brought about by industrialization and urbanisation, can be found within the rural environment in itself, affecting all levels of social and cultural reality and all sectores of activity. While attempting at a description of such changes, the Author call the attention for the increasing demand for research in rural sociology.