Rente, famille, innovation. Contribution à la sociologie du grand domaine noble au XIXe siècle

Rent, Family, Innovation : a Contribution to the Sociology of the Aristocratic Estate in the 19th Century In French rural society during during the first two thirds of the 19th century a number of the great aristocratic landowners, far from simply living off their rents, frequently concerned themselves with agricultural innovation. This innovative practice such as is found in la Manche, a departement in lower Normandy, is sustained by an original rationale, the examination of which is indispensible for an understanding of the connections existing between peasants and nobles. More specifically the representatives of the landed nobility, in establishing privileged relationships with the most advanced of the superior fringe of the peasantry while opposing the excesses of liberalism in the name of a paternalistic vision of society, succeeded not only in keeping themselves in power but also in perpetuating their status as social models and in integrating themselves into the community of notables or the great rural bourgeoisie.Guillemin Alain. Rente, famille, innovation. Contribution à la sociologie du grand domaine noble au XIXe siècle. In: Annales. Economies, sociétés, civilisations. 40ᵉ année, N. 1, 1985. pp. 54-70