The Art of Not Being Governed
The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia is a book-length anthropological and historical study of the Zomia highlands of Southeast Asia written by James C. Scott published in 2009. Zomia, as defined by Scott, includes all the lands at elevations above 300 meters stretching from the Central Highlands of Vietnam to northeastern India. That encompasses parts of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar, as well as four provinces of China. Zomia's 100 million residents are minority peoples "of truly bewildering ethnic and linguistic variety", he writes. Among them are the Akha, Hmong, Karen, Lahu, Mien, and Wa peoples. )
Stats for nerds
9recommend
23mentions
15people
2016–2025years
61% recommend39% neutral
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- Loved “The Winds of War” and “War and Remembrance” by Herman Wouk - middlebrow from the 70s but no less good for that.
Re-read “The Art of Not Being Governed” by James C Scott which is really mind-expanding stuff.
- "Seeing Like A State" is a superb book, but I'll always remember Scott for "The Art of Not Being Governed." I was a history major in college, and seeing history from the point of view of non-state peoples was revelatory for a young student. I greatly enjoyed it, truly one of those experiences in life where my mind was opened and expanded in a new direction. I'll forever remember him for that, and be grateful for his contribution to my way of viewing the world.
- Review / summary of
both worth reading if you have the time.- seeing like a state: https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/03/16/book-review-seeing-like-a-state/ - the art of not being governed: https://www.thepsmiths.com/p/review-the-art-of-not-being-governed - This is veering into a different topic, but I'd encourage you to read "The Dawn Of Everything" (2021) & "The Art of Not Being Governed" (2009) for long term examples of non-hierarchal societies.
It may be inevitable that people may rise up to seek power over others, but the question is what is the best way to respond to this? Do we leave them to rule over others without restrictions, or do we limit the damage they can do? Do we reward this impulse of control of the few over the many to their general detriment, or do we treat it as a mental health issue (like sociopathy or hoarding)?
- You might want to read the book
The Art of Not Being Governed
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Not_Being_Governed
which discusses in some detail the advantages of living in "marginally" farmable hillcountry.
- the ultimate resource in all things history of crops and how people came about to cultivate rice (or stay clear of it) has to be James C. Scott[1][2] "The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia"
> For two thousand years, the disparate groups that now reside in Zomia (a mountainous region the size of Europe—2.5 million km2—that consists of portions of seven Asian countries) have fled the projects—slavery, conscription, taxes, corvée, epidemics, and warfare—of the nation state societies that surround them.
he has several chapters on crops and why they play a key role in survival among hill tribes throughout history. A brilliant book.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Not_Being_Governed
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