Land, power and commercialization in lower Iraq, 1850-1958
A case of 'blocked transition
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2159047 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Samira Haj (New York University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1994 |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 126-163 |
| Publication date | 1994-10-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Peasant Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0306-6150 • E-ISSN: 1743-9361 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03066159408438568 |
| OpenAlex | W2036226965 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 13 |
The article takes to task both modernisation and neo-Marxist interpretations for ascribing societal change to external forces. Taking the case of agrarian change in lower Iraq, it posits that the dominant class structure, not the encroachment of the international market, was responsible for blocking the development of capitalist agriculture. The particular response to changing market conditions was shaped by the existing socio-economic organisation of the region, which was rooted in a tribal social organisation and economy. Commercialisation of agriculture did not itself create the 'iqta" system based on large estates worked by peasant sharecroppers. Rather, the emergence of this agrarian system was the outcome of the successful effort of the tribal ruling groups to take advantage of the new political and market opportunities. Once in power, the new class of tribal landowners pursued income maximising policies that undermined long-term agricultural growth
Agrarian society · Agriculture · Commercialization · Development economics · Economic growth · Economic system · Economics · Geography · Market economy · Modernization theory · Peasant · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Islamic Studies and History
The Middle East in the world economy, 1800-1914
The Origins of Capitalist Development
The Agrarian Roots of European Capitalism
The economic history of the Middle East, 1800-1914
The problems of Tribalism
The Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Tax Reforms and Revenue System
Government of El 'Iraq. An Inquiry into Land Tenure and Related Questions. Proposals for the Initiation of Reform
Land Reform and Development in the Middle East
Land Reform and Development in the Middle East
| Citations per year | 0.09 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2015 - 2015 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |