Peasant studies and the history of agrarian relations in Russia

Some important events in the agrarian history of Russia in the 20th century are analyzed from the standpoint of modern peasant studies. The author relies on materials of regular (1992–2000) sessions of the theoretical seminar “Contemporary Concepts of Agrarian Development.” That seminar was led by outstanding scientists—the Russian agrarian historian V.P. Danilov and the British historical sociologist in Russian peasant and postpeasant society T. Shanin. In the opinion of V.V. Babashkin, the methodology that was elaborated at these roundtable sessions ought to occupy its rightful place in Russian historical and sociological studies.