Introduction

Abstract

The concept of the Asiatic Mode of Production (AMP) is one of the most controversial issues in Marxology. It has been described as ‘the Loch Ness Monster of historical materialism, rarely sighted and much disbelieved’ (O’Leary, 1989: 331). Not surprisingly, the literature on this topic, as one of the highly-praised experts puts it, ‘has grown from a rock to a cape to a peninsula’ (Krader, 1975: xi). Much has been written not only by historians and economists, but also by political scientists and specialists in many other academic fields.