James C. Scott
A political scientist and anthropologist known for his work on resistance, power, and the 'arts of not being governed'.
Quotes by James C. Scott
Anarchism is not chaos; it is a different way of organizing society.
The state is a necessary evil, but it is still an evil.
The best way to resist the state is to create alternatives to it.
The state is always trying to catch up with the ingenuity of its subjects.
The state is a blunt instrument, ill-suited to the complexities of human life.
The history of civilization is, in large part, the history of the domestication of grain.
The state emerged not from a desire for progress, but from the need to control and extract resources.
Early states were fragile and prone to collapse.
The adoption of agriculture was not necessarily a step forward for humanity.
The state is a relatively recent invention, and it is not inevitable.
The more power the state has, the more it will try to simplify and control.
The state's desire for order often leads to disorder.
The state is a project of social engineering.
The state's vision of a good society is often a narrow and impoverished one.
The state is always trying to impose its own rationality on the world.
The hidden transcript is a form of cultural resistance.
The hidden transcript can erupt into the public transcript, leading to social change.
The hidden transcript is a space for the oppressed to imagine a different world.
The hidden transcript is a source of hope and resilience for those living under domination.
The hidden transcript is a reminder that power is never absolute.