Comparative political corruption (Prentice-Hall contemporary comparative politics series)

Politics & Social Sciences

SCOTT, James C.

Politics & Government

PRENTICE/HALL

Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States

History

Americas

Yale University Press

Aside from very few underlines in pencil, the book is like new.

The moral economy of the peasant: Rebellion and subsistence in Southeast Asia

Sociology

James C. Scott places the critical problem of the peasant household―subsistence―at the center of this study. The fear of food shortages, he argues persuasively, explains many otherwise puzzling technical, social, and moral arrangements in peasant society, such as resistance to innovation, the desire to own land even at some cost in terms of income, relationships with other people, and relationships with institutions, including the state. Once the centrality of the subsistence problem is recognized, its effects on notions of economic and political justice can also be seen. Scott draws from the history of agrarian society in lower Burma and Vietnam to show how the transformations of the colonial era systematically violated the peasants’ “moral economy” and created a situation of potential rebellion and revolution. Demonstrating keen insights into the behavior of people in other cultures and a rare ability to generalize soundly from case studies, Scott offers a different perspective on peasant behavior that will be of interest particularly to political scientists, anthropologists, sociologists, and Southeast Asianists. “The book is extraordinarily original and valuable and will have a very broad appeal. I think the central thesis is correct and compelling.”―Clifford Geertz “In this major work, … Scott views peasants as political and moral actors defending their values as well as their individual security, making his book vital to an understanding of peasant politics.”―Library Journal James C. Scott is professor of political science at Yale University.

The Moral Economy of the Peasant: Rebellion and Subsistence in Southeast Asia

Business & Money

Economics

This sensitive picture of the constant and circumspect struggle waged by peasants materially and ideologically against their oppressors shows that techniques of evasion and resistance may represent the most significant and effective means of class struggle in the long run."A major contribution to peasant studies, Malaysian studies, and the literature on revolutions and class consciousness."--Benedict R. Anderson, Cornell University"The book is a splendid achievement. Because Scott listens closely to the villagers of Malaysia, he enormously expands our understanding of popular ideology and therefore of popular politics. And because he is also a brilliant analyst, he draws upon this concrete experience to develop a new critique of classical theories of ideology."Frances Fox Piven, Graduate Center of the City University of New YorkAn impressive work which may well become a classic.”Terence J. Byres, Times Literary SupplementA highly readable, contextually sensitive, theoretically astute ethnography of a moral system in change. Weapons of the Weak is a brilliant book, combining a sure feel for the subjective side of struggle with a deft handling of economic and political trends.”John R. Bown, Journal of Peasant StudiesA splendid book, a worthy addition to the classic studies of Malay society and of the peasantry at large. Combines the readability of Akenfield or Pig Earth with an accessible and illuminating theoretical commentary.”A.F. Robertson, Times Higher Education SupplementNo one who wants to understand peasant society, in or out of Southeast Asia, or theories of change, should fail to read [this book].”Daniel S. Lev, Journal of Asian StudiesA moving account of the poor’s refusal to accept the terms of their subordination. Disposes of the belief that theoretical sophistication and intelligible prose are somehow at odds.”Ramachandra Guha, Economic and Political WeeklyA seminally important commentary on the state of peasant studies and the global literature. This enormously rich work in Asian and comparative studies is an essential contribution to participatory development theory and practice.”Guy Gran, World DevelopmentJames C. Scott is professor of political science at Yale University.

Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance

Arts & Photography

History & Criticism

Yale Univ Pr

This sensitive picture of the constant and circumspect struggle waged by peasants materially and ideologically against their oppressors shows that techniques of evasion and resistance may represent the most significant and effective means of class struggle in the long run. "A major contribution to peasant studies, Malaysian studies, and the literature on revolutions and class consciousness."--Benedict R. Anderson, Cornell University "The book is a splendid achievement. Because Scott listens closely to the villagers of Malaysia, he enormously expands our understanding of popular ideology and therefore of popular politics. And because he is also a brilliant analyst, he draws upon this concrete experience to develop a new critique of classical theories of ideology."―Frances Fox Piven, Graduate Center of the City University of New York “An impressive work which may well become a classic.”―Terence J. Byres, Times Literary Supplement “A highly readable, contextually sensitive, theoretically astute ethnography of a moral system in change…. Weapons of the Weak is a brilliant book, combining a sure feel for the subjective side of struggle with a deft handling of economic and political trends.”―John R. Bown, Journal of Peasant Studies “A splendid book, a worthy addition to the classic studies of Malay society and of the peasantry at large…. Combines the readability of Akenfield or Pig Earth with an accessible and illuminating theoretical commentary.”―A.F. Robertson, Times Higher Education Supplement “No one who wants to understand peasant society, in or out of Southeast Asia, or theories of change, should fail to read [this book].”―Daniel S. Lev, Journal of Asian Studies “A moving account of the poor’s refusal to accept the terms of their subordination…. Disposes of the belief that theoretical sophistication and intelligible prose are somehow at odds.”―Ramachandra Guha, Economic and Political Weekly “A seminally important commentary on the state of peasant studies and the global literature…. This enormously rich work in Asian and comparative studies is… an essential contribution to participatory development theory and practice.”―Guy Gran, World Development James C. Scott is professor of political science at Yale University.

"Play fool, to catch wise."―proverb of Jamaican slaves Confrontations between the powerless and powerful are laden with deception―the powerless feign deference and the powerful subtly assert their mastery. Peasants, serfs, untouchables, slaves, laborers, and prisoners are not free to speak their minds in the presence of power. These subordinate groups instead create a secret discourse that represents a critique of power spoken behind the backs of the dominant. At the same time, the powerful also develop a private dialogue about practices and goals of their rule that cannot be openly avowed. In this book, renowned social scientist James C. Scott offers a penetrating discussion both of the public roles played by the powerful and powerless and the mocking, vengeful tone they display off stage―what he terms their public and hidden transcripts. Using examples from the literature, history, and politics of cultures around the world, Scott examines the many guises this interaction has taken throughout history and the tensions and contradictions it reflects. Scott describes the ideological resistance of subordinate groups―their gossip, folktales, songs, jokes, and theater―their use of anonymity and ambiguity. He also analyzes how ruling elites attempt to convey an impression of hegemony through such devices as parades, state ceremony, and rituals of subordination and apology. Finally, he identifies―with quotations that range from the recollections of American slaves to those of Russian citizens during the beginnings of Gorbachev's glasnost campaign―the political electricity generated among oppressed groups when, for the first time, the hidden transcript is spoken directly and publicly in the face of power. His landmark work will revise our understanding of subordination, resistance, hegemony, folk culture, and the ideas behind revolt.

Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts

Philosophy

This book presents an account of an intellectual breakthrough in the study of rural society and agriculture. Its ten chapters, selected for their originality and synthesis from the colloquia of the Program in Agrarian Studies at Yale University, encompass various disciplines, diverse historical periods, and several regions of the world. The contributors’ fresh analyses will broaden the perspectives of readers with interests as wide-ranging as rural sociology, environmentalism, political science, history, anthropology, economics, and art history. The ten studies recast and expand what is known about rural society and agrarian issues, examining such topics as poverty, subsistence, cultivation, ecology, justice, art, custom, law, ritual life, cooperation, and state action. Each contribution provides a point of departure for new study, encouraging deeper thinking across disciplinary boundaries and frontiers.

Agrarian Studies: Synthetic Work at the Cutting Edge

Social Sciences

Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed (The Institution for Social and Policy St)

For two thousand years the disparate groups that now reside in Zomia (a mountainous region the size of Europe that consists of portions of seven Asian countries) have fled the projects of the organized state societies that surround them—slavery, conscription, taxes, corvée labor, epidemics, and warfare. This book, essentially an “anarchist history,” is the first-ever examination of the huge literature on state-making whose author evaluates why people would deliberately and reactively remain stateless. Among the strategies employed by the people of Zomia to remain stateless are physical dispersion in rugged terrain; agricultural practices that enhance mobility; pliable ethnic identities; devotion to prophetic, millenarian leaders; and maintenance of a largely oral culture that allows them to reinvent their histories and genealogies as they move between and around states.
In accessible language, James Scott, recognized worldwide as an eminent authority in Southeast Asian, peasant, and agrarian studies, tells the story of the peoples of Zomia and their unlikely odyssey in search of self-determination. He redefines our views on Asian politics, history, demographics, and even our fundamental ideas about what constitutes civilization, and challenges us with a radically different approach to history that presents events from the perspective of stateless peoples and redefines state-making as a form of “internal colonialism.” This new perspective requires a radical reevaluation of the civilizational narratives of the lowland states. Scott’s work on Zomia represents a new way to think of area studies that will be applicable to other runaway, fugitive, and marooned communities, be they Gypsies, Cossacks, tribes fleeing slave raiders, Marsh Arabs, or San-Bushmen.

The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia (Yale Agrarian Studies Series)

Asia

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by SCOTT, James C.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by SCOTT, James C.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by SCOTT, James C.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Comparative political corruption (Prentice-Hall contemporary comparative politics series)

Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States

The moral economy of the peasant: Rebellion and subsistence in Southeast Asia

The Moral Economy of the Peasant: Rebellion and Subsistence in Southeast Asia

Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance

Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance

Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts

Agrarian Studies: Synthetic Work at the Cutting Edge

Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed (The Institution for Social and Policy St)

The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia (Yale Agrarian Studies Series)