Rethinking the “Other Transition”: Towards an Alternative Marxist Explanation
Gary Blank
After a long hiatus, Marxist historians are once again debating the “other transition”: from ancient society to feudalism. Considerable improvements in empirical knowledge have not, however, been matched by bold advances historical materialist theory. Prominent contributors now question whether any meaningful transition occurred at all, emphasizing persistence of feudalism (Wickham) or maturation an incipient capitalism (Banaji). In this, they reproduce central methodological shortcoming Perry Anderson's pioneering work, which is reluctance think beyond “mode production” concept itself. The alternative mode exploitation focuses on multiple “political” mechanisms surplus was extracted direct producers. Merovingian and Carolingian Gaul, manorial free unfree tenants, as well state (“public”) landowning, arms-bearing peasantry, generated social logic distinct both late Roman Empire early Frankish There not just one “transition,” but two.
Science & Society