Interdisciplinary Seminar in Economic History: “[…] it’s often the case that one and the same family produces a farmer, a bishop, a captain of the guard and a bandit of equal fame”: thoughts on the composition of the (petit-)bourgeoisie in Greece
04/04/2023 (Seminars)
Bank of Greece, DIESOI
The Historical Archives of the Bank of Greece, in the context of the Interdisciplinary Seminar in Economic History, jointly organised with the Athens University of Economics and Business and Panteion University, invite you to the lecture entitled:
“[…] it’s often the case that one and the same family produces a farmer, a bishop, a captain of the guard and a bandit of equal fame”: thoughts on the composition of the (petit-)bourgeoisie in Greece
Speaker: Dimitris Panagiotopoulos (Agricultural University of Athens)
A few words on the topic:
Using the particular social and political significance of Greek rural societies both in the 19th and the 20th century as a starting point, the lecture will attempt to analyse the way in which agricultural and rural populations were organised and how they developed practices and strategies aimed at integrating them into the bourgeois state and civil society.
First of all, their specific political weight, i.e. their importance in the political system, granted them access to the political apparatus through networks of patronage or professional association, allowing them to use it to their advantage.
At the same time, a salient characteristic of Greek rural populations is their capacity to adapt and minimise risk. They also share an appetite for upward social mobility, both intra- and intergenerational, which permeates the Greek society. The speaker will seek to demonstrate how these characteristics shape a petit-bourgeois or agricultural-bourgeois profile in Greek society through time.
The sessions are held at the Museum of the Bank of Greece, at 3, Amerikis Street, Athens, and are open to the public, without requiring prior registration. The seminar will be conducted in Greek, unless otherwise indicated.
The complete programme of upcoming lectures is available on the website of the Interdisciplinary Seminar in Economic History.
Related links:
Poster of the event