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market, central market, local and regional cities. The following discussion will be concerned with standard and intermediate markets.
As already mentioned, Skinner's analysis has to do with more than the distribution of economic activities. It comprehends the distribution of all significant social relationships through space and time. Thus, the standard marketing area is seen as constituting also a standard marketing community—the social world of the peasantry,10
Skinner argues that the standard marketing community is relatively self-contained—the boundaries of the standard marketing area are also the boundaries of social networks for the peasant members of the marketing community. Most enduring social relationships are contracted and maintained with members of one's own standard marketing community. The nodes of these networks—be they economic, political, kinship, or religious—are to be found in the standard market town, the marketing schedule of which imposes a rhythmic pattern upon the acting out of social relationships. Indeed, the market town was so important that control of it sometimes became an aspect of competition for political and economic ascendency between rival lineages or groups within the marketing community.12
The standard market town was commonly dependent upon two or three intermediate market towns, the distribution of economic activities within the system being achieved through co-ordinated periodic market schedules. The intermediate market town performed, for members of local elites, functions similar to those performed by the standard market town for peasant members of the marketing community. "Everything which set them apart from the peasantry encouraged their attendance at the intermediate market.... while the regular needs of the peasants were met by the standard market, those of the local elite were met only by the intermediate market."4 The intermediate marketing area, transcending those of its dependent standard markets, provided a wider context and a more extensive network of relationships for the pursuit of such gentry interests as scholarship, politics, and profit.
Freedman has taken up that part of Skinner's analysis which deals with the relationship between marketing systems and lineage
34
R. G. GROVES
market, central market, local and regional cities. The following discussion will be concerned with standard and intermediate mar- kets.
As already mentioned, Skinner's analysis has to do with more than the distribution of economic activities. It comprehends the distribution of all significant social relationships through space and time. Thus, the standard marketing area is seen as constitut- ing also a standard marketing community the social world of the peasantry,10
Skinner argues that the standard marketing community is relatively self-contained the boundaries of the standard market- ing area are also the boundaries of social networks for the peasant members of the marketing community. Most enduring social re- lationships are contracted and maintained with members of one's own standard marketing community. The nodes of these net- works be they economic, political, kinship, or religious are to be found in the standard market town, the marketing schedule of which imposes a rhythmic pattern upon the acting out of social relationships. Indeed, the market town was so important that control of it sometimes became an aspect of competition for poli- tical and economic ascendency between rival lineages or groups within the marketing community.12
The standard market town was commonly dependent upon two or three intermediate market towns, the distribution of econo- mic activities within the system being achieved through co- ordinated periodic market schedules. The intermediate market town performed, for members of local elites, functions similar to those performed by the standard market town for peasant members of the marketing community. "Everything which set them apart from the peasantry encouraged their attendance at the intermediate market.... while the regular needs of the peasants were met by the standard market, those of the local elite were met only by the intermediate market."4 The intermediate marketing area, transcending those of its dependent standard markets, provided a wider context and a more extensive network of relationships for the pursuit of such gentry interests as scholarship, politics, and profit.
Freedman has taken up that part of Skinner's analysis which deals with the relationship between marketing systems and lineage
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