Feudalism on the Horizon (Part 2): Alain Guerreau, Dominium and Ecclesia

The article continues the reflections on the understanding of feudalism in the thematic issue of the «L’Atelier du Center de recherches historiques». It focuses on the construct of Alain Guerreau, which, on one side, was connected with the Marxist tradition of un- derstanding the medieval society as a feudal one and with the practices of French histo- riography of the last fifty years, and, on the other side, was in a marked contrast to that tradition. The concepts of dominium and ecclesia are considered as the basis of medieval European society. There is analysis of the articles discussing the research of Alain Guer- reau. The main accent is made on the attempt of Joseph Morsel to clarify the construct of Guerreau by referring it to the Marxist principles of society analysis as entirety and by drawing parallels between concepts developed by Marx for the capitalist society and some elements of the Guerreau’s construct. The strengths and weaknesses of the methods of Alain Guerreau and his followers are pointed.