Central Idea From the Author
In his book titled The Art of Not Being Governed, James C. Scott has focussed on the condition of people living in the mountainous region of Zomia and the reasons behind their choice to stay away from the state.
Introduction
Scott’s study concentrates on people living in clusters in different parts of the mountainous expanse of Zomia (in South East Asia). The fact that this area is not a part of any state inspired him to conduct this analysis. Unlike the lowland region, people residing in this region are not governed by any laws. They are considered to be existed for hundreds of years and even today their living style is primitive. Some of these primitive people ventured into the lowland areas and became civilized. This particular idea of Scott emphasizes the efforts being carried out globally for the upliftment of primitive people. Ironically, people living in this mountainous area intentionally avoid being part of the state in order to safeguard themselves from the usual (that’s their impression about the state) acts of slavery, taxation, bonded labor, employment problems, etc.
Summary (Chapters 1 and 2)
The first two chapters of the book mainly describe the geographical condition of Zomia.
Scott argues that the geographical location of any region greatly influences the control of the state in that particular area. In the case of Zomia, people prefer migrating to this region because of its vast distance from the lowland area and also the topography in between. This region provides shelter to people who want to keep away from the state and its predatory tactics. Besides underlining the different intentions of those migrating to the mountains, the chapters also describe the activities carried out by them to earn a livelihood; Scott mentions “escape agriculture” as one such activity.
“Escape agriculture” refers to the cultivation of such crops that acclimatize to the mountain topography, grow fast, and do not require much care. In these two chapters, Scott also asserts the importance of rice cultivation in strengthening political supremacy in the valley areas before and during the nineteenth century. This makes us understand that in order to have a stable government, it is necessary to have concerted manpower and large plain areas that may be utilized for cultivation.
There are some attributes that differentiate between people from different parts of the world and cultures. But in the case of Zomia, differentiating lowland and highland people on the basis of attributes, such as language, is not possible. Moreover, in these hilly regions, collectiveness keeps on budding constantly. Even though there are different groups within the region, there is no specific line of segregation that can be observed for a long time (continuous). As such, in this region, attributes keep on changing with time. The foremost requirement of a state is to integrate people into different groups based on certain attributes. This situation, obviously, has its repercussions on the efforts of state-making.
Response
Scott disapproves of the general assumption that people living away from governance are uncivilized. Simply having the name of a state does not guarantee law and order. There are countless examples in the world – in addition to the Southeast Asia region – where there has been mayhem and turmoil to a great extent. Scott asserts that in spite of a varied set of relations and groups, there is order, though of a different nature, maintained in the mountainous region of Zomia (Scott, 2009).
Even though Scott focuses on Zomia, it ought to be understood that institutions engaged in the upliftment of the tribal people, who are beyond the control of the state, have similar views as mentioned in this book. Certainly, this supports the efforts of the global community to bring such primitive (so-called) people into the limelight. Through this book, Scott disagrees that such people are primitive. On the contrary, he argues, that people living in the mountainous region have opted for this life voluntarily. They are not the lingering remnants of the period before the state became existent.
Critique
After an initial introduction of the mountainous and lowland regions of Zomia, Scott draws the readers’ attention toward the reasons behind people’s preference to live in the upland region. He also looks into the difficulties faced by such people and how they cope with them. After going through the initial chapters it seems that Zomia is really a difficult place to live in. The fact that people are fleeing from the state-governed areas to the mountainous region, where the state does not have any governance, clearly depicts the condition of people living in the lowland region. From the reading, it is evident that in addition to the people’s choice, it is a reaction to the state’s policies also. A situation of interdependence among the people living in upland and lowland areas is also an important aspect to contemplate.
Bibliography
Scott, James. The art of not being governed: An anarchist history of upland Southeast Asia. London: Yale University Press, 2009.