ABSTRACT
THE preceding chapters have revealed the importance of land in the life of the villagers. The possession or lack of land is the decisive factor in determining an individual’s standard of living and in determining whether or not he shall enjoy the privilege of leisure. This fact is so well understood by the villagers that it is the driving force behind much of their activities. Those who suffer from lack of adequate land strive constantly to acquire it, while those who possess land do everything in their power to hold it. Given the limited supply of land, these conflicting forces have introduced a dramatic element into what might otherwise be a dull and static rural economy. The following chapters will deal with the dynamic aspects of the land system through an analysis of the ways in which the villagers acquire their land and the ways in which they lose it. The rise and fall of peasant households constitutes an ever repeating cycle and stabilizes the traditional system in a dynamic equilibrium.
