Agria 42. (Az Egri Múzeum Évkönyve - Annales Musei Agriensis, 2006)

Szabó László: Paraszttársadalom – a parasztság és rendiség fogalmának társadalomnéprajzi értelmezése

SZABÓ László 1989. Erdei Ferenc társadalomszemlélete. In: Szabó L.: Néprajzi tanulmányok. 217-225. Szolnok. 1993 Társadalomnéprajz. Debrecen. László Szabó Peasant Society - The Socio-Ethographic Definitions of the Terms Peasantry and Feudalism Ethnography is the study of traditional folk cultures. At first glance this concise three-word term, traditional folk culture, appears to be quite clear and easy to understand. Once one scratches the surface, however, and delves a little deeper, it becomes obvious that all three terms are problematic and therefore open to debate. In this study we discuss the difficulties accompanying the definition of the term "folk" from an ethnographic point of view. Fortunately the fact that the term, when used in an ethnographic context, revolves around the peasantry, is something that has made our job a lot easier. Nevertheless, the use of social scientific research on the matter as well as research into the development of the villein-peasant, has not proved entirely satisfactory. In our analyses peasant labour occupies a central position, and in looking for the essence of the "folk" or peasant elements of culture from the point of view of the activities they undertook, we discovered in their ever-present yet gradually evolving labour a sublimated, higher form of work ethic. 297