Transcript Labor, Revolt, and Social Structure Changes 600-1450

Despite significant continuities in social structures and in
methods of production, there were also some important
changes in labor management and in the effect of religious
conversion on gender relations and family life.
Labor Organizations
 Free Peasant Agriculture- One characteristic of
undeveloped peasant agriculture is its self-sufficiency.
Farm families in those circumstances consume a
substantial part of what they produce. While some of their
output may be sold in the market, their total production is
generally not much larger than what is needed for the
maintenance of the family and the empire- Byzantine
Empire, Feudal Japan, China
 Nomadic Pastoralism- Nomadic pastoralism is a form of
pastoralism where livestock are herded in order to find
fresh pastures on which to graze- Mongols
More Labor Organizations
 Craft and Guild Organizations- By the 13th century a
practice had emerged in western Europe in the form of
craft guilds. Guild members supervised the product quality,
methods of production, and work conditions for each
occupational group in a town. The guilds were controlled
by the master craftsmen, and the recruit entered the guild
after completing his training as an apprentice—a period
that commonly lasted seven years.
 Coerced and unfree labor- Slave labor, Aztec conquered
societies
Labor Organizations Cont.
 Military Obligations- Mita System, Inca
 Government imposed labor tax- Rome, pay taxes
through labor for the government. Corvee’ system
Social Structure
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Shaped by class and caste hierarchies
Patriarchy still persisted
Some areas gave more power and rights to women
Mongols- Women could rule in place of the Khan, until a
Khan was put in place
 Japan- It was a woman's duty to serve three masters: her
father, her husband and her son, and home life was the
focus of her career.
 Southeast Asia-Women - Marriages were arranged within
their social classes. Upper class women could own
property, move about in public and remarry. Women could
inherit property in the absence of male heirs.
Peasant Revolts
China
Byzantine Empire
 Rebellion by northern tribes
 Peasants revolt after higher
dissatisfied with Mongol rule,
followed by famine and
floods in the south,
prompted the messianic Red
Turban Society to launch a
rebellion, which helped pave
the way for the fall of the
Yuan in 1368
taxes and more grain
production was demanded by
the nobles.
Diffusion of Religion
 Led to significant changes in gender relations and
family structure.
 Buddhism-Buddhism is not a family-centered
religion. Within Asian Buddhist cultures, this
typically translates into a traditional, patriarchal
family structure with clearly defined familial roles
Christianity Gender Roles
 Women were seen as subservient to men, however,
men (according to the Bible) were not to force women
into submission. The submission was seen as a way to
get closer to God and men should treat women with
respect in order to be closer to God themselves.
Islam Gender Roles
 The Quran explicitly states that men and women are
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equal in the eyes of God. Furthermore, the Quran:
instructs Muslims to educate daughters as well as sons
insists that women have the right to refuse a
prospective husband
gives women rights if they are divorced by their
husband
gives women the right to divorce in certain cases
gives women the right to own and inherit property
Neo-Confucianism Gender Roles
 Within the society of classic Confucian values women
were treated as lesser beings, completely inferior to
their male counterparts
 Just as in classic Confucianism filial piety was at the
forefront of the moral codes of Neo-Confucianism.
Within the codes for filial piety a woman's role was
clearly subservient to men.
 Foot-binding, prepare ancestor worship for men, did
allow for women to learn knowledge on how to please
men and to some extent themselves.