The art of not being governed An anarchist history of upland Southeast Asia

There is at least one constant theme to Yale University Asianist Scott's earlier monographs: subalterns resist outside domination and in their own way live by rules and mores that are sanctioned and legitimized by time and with unique logic. External authoritarian or democratic efforts to reshape subalterns are nothing less than attempts at subjugation and often fail. This compassionate monograph focuses on the stateless people who reside in Zomia, a huge mountainous region the size of Europe formed by border portions of seven Asian countries: Cambodia, China, India, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. These people and their ancestors have consciously fled organized states to escape conscription, taxes, corvee labor, epidemics, enslavement, and warfare. Dispersed over a rugged landscape, they employ agricultural and pastoral practices that make them highly mobile. Pliable ethnic identities promote acceptance and plurality; devotion to prophetic millenarian leaders builds solidarity. A mostly oral culture allows the people to reinvent their histories and genealogies to suit their needs. Although time may be against them, they have made being stateless an art form. There are 6 maps, 1 chart, 68 pages of notes, and a 6-page glossary. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. H. T. Wong emeritus, Eastern Washington University