ABSTRACT
Villagers identify with their household-their family, in which virtually all their interests are tied up. The community recognizes this identity. The authorities recognize it too, and have neither impeded its existence nor, in many respects, modified its character (to be discussed more fully in Chapter 6). The villagers see the present regime as the provider of conditions for the individual to sustain indissoluble links with his or her family. How villagers evaluate that situation varies according to each context. It would be inconceivable for them, nevertheless, that an individual’s personal character and concerns should not be identified closely with those of his or her family.
