Property ownership and the development of capitalism, 1840-1980 : a case study of a Suffolk parish
Much has been written in recent years about the role of landownership in British society and, particularly, in structuring the social relations of 'rural' areas. There has also been a growing interest in the way social processes are 'patterned' geographically and are themselves shaped by contingent spatial circumstances. This thesis has two basic aims First, to examine the changing role of landownership - specifically, the relationship between capital and land - in the processes of economic restructuring in three economic sectors: agriculture, housebuilding and manufacturing. Second, to evaluate marxist rent theory as an explanatory tool for understanding the capital-land relationship, and draw some conclusions on the extent to which this theory can be operationalised. Finally, we will consider whether the capital-land relation imparts a unique stamp on the social processes effective in one specific location, a stamp which gives it a distinctiveness as a 'locality'. Landownership is therefore used as a way of examining the links between spatial relations and social processes, of probing the relationship between 'general' changes at the level of the British nation state and changes in one concrete location.
Barlow, James
Landownership; Land; Capital; Marxist rent theory
Property ownership and the development of capitalism, 1840-1980 : a case study of a Suffolk parish. Much has been written in recent years about the role of landownership in British society and, particularly, in structuring the social relations of 'rural' areas. There has also been a growing interest in the way social processes are 'patterned' geographically and are themselves shaped by contingent spatial circumstances. This thesis has two basic aims First, to examine the changing role of landownership - specifically, the relationship between capital and land - in the processes of economic restructuring in three economic sectors: agriculture, housebuilding and manufacturing. Second, to evaluate marxist rent theory as an explanatory tool for understanding the capital-land relationship, and draw some conclusions on the extent to which this theory can be operationalised. Finally, we will consider whether the capital-land relation imparts a unique stamp on the social processes effective in one specific location, a stamp which gives it a distinctiveness as a 'locality'. Landownership is therefore used as a way of examining the links between spatial relations and social processes, of probing the relationship between 'general' changes at the level of the British nation state and changes in one concrete location.
property ownership development capitalism case_study suffolk parish much_write recent year role landownership british_society particularly structure social_relation rural_area also grow_interest way social_process geographically shaped contingent spatial circumstance two_basic aim first_examine change_role landownership specifically relationship capital land process economic restructuring economic sector agriculture manufacturing second evaluate marxist rent theory explanatory tool capital land relationship draw_conclusion extent theory operationalised finally_consider whether capital land relation unique stamp social_process effective specific location stamp give distinctiveness locality landownership therefore use way examine link spatial_relation social_process probe relationship general change level british nation_state change concrete location