Teetering on the outer reaches of late capitalism, we have a tendency to look at the past with a romantic lens. But could some of the structures that organised society have useful lessons for us? This is Annette Kehnel’s premise, and her book delves into medieval social structures such as Beguinages – almost monastic, women only communities; the principles of make do and mend (which occur in all cultures in all times except the last few decades in industrialised society); the poverty of Franciscan monks; the organisation of Alpine pastures and Alsatian forests, focussing on their long term conservancy of natural resources and community living.
While it would be impossible to return to medieval living in many ways, there are certainly lessons we can learn in long term planning and careful husbandry of resources that we would do well to learn. A fascinating read.