Much of his life-long work is included up in his latest and very interesting publication: "The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia" Reviwed here: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2009/12/06/the_mystery_of_z... Official page: http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=9780300152289 Scanned excerpt: http://www.law.yale.edu/documents/pdf/Intellectual_Life/LTW-Scott.pdf In general, one of his arguments is that writing is rejected by non-state governed people, because it is through writing that states extend their domination - public records, cadastral maps, treaties, declarations and so on. Recall the native Americans signing papers, for instance. His argument is sustained by many examples of non-state governed people throughout history attacking public record offices as one of the first moments of revolt. He also argues that in Zomia people are not "non-developed" or primitive or whatever you prefer, because they are nomads and have scattered, diverse, networked agriculture, which is a typical western anthropological line of thought, but that rather they are *not governable* because they have such networked multi-seasonal agriculture. This is premised on the idea that empire/state domination and expansion is based on a cost/benefit analysis: if a territory can yield more grain than it costs to annex it, then it will be annexed/conquered - and if not, as is the case with territories based on nomadic, networked agriculture with many different crops to be harvested at many different times, then you can remain free. A nice subversion of that old school thinking. There are probably some parallels with cyberspace and centralisation of architecture, such as Google and Facecrack. Easy to conquer, just give Sucker-berg a call. On 18/10/11 06:36, Michel Bauwens wrote:
http://p2pfoundation.net/Domination_and_the_Arts_of_Resistance
Kevin, anything on this would be of interest !!
Michel
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