LECTURE 15-16: DESPOTIC STATES

Question 1

how long state been present

Answer 1

1% of human history and people have escape state control for many years

Question 2

stories about state formation with common approach

Answer 2

• rise linked to agriculture
• state as an unavoidable and irreversible step in political process

Question 3

Scott narrative

Answer 3

many societies lived in kinship organised mobile groups that co-existed with state but narrative is unbalanced: historical evidence produced mainly by states so narrative depends on this (civilised vs barbarian)

Question 4

need to consider states

Answer 4

as a choice and not as a residual

Question 5

shatter zones

Answer 5

area of refuge in which people tried to escape the expansion of the state

Question 6

shatter zones common characteristics

Answer 6

• geography made them inaccessible
• diversity of language and cultures
• bordered by formalised, grain based states

Question 7

zomia

Answer 7

hill territory historically inhabited by people not subjected to valley formalised policies
attracted stateless people that wanted to escape and resist valley expansion , geographic inacessibility favoured this

Question 8

zomia created in 4 phases

Answer 8

• before colonial period: development of rice-based agriculture founded on irrigation systems in the valley, first movement of people escaping from state captivity to rugged territories forming spaces of resistance. maintained relation with states based on trade
• during colonial period: europeans colonised SE to control scarce resources, fought for same resources as zomia states. hill people treated better and administered through separate rule
• post colonial period: now independent valley people tried to exercise control over hill people to expand in hills
• post WWII: zomia attracts movements of opposition to the state

Question 9

region because presence of

Answer 9

• egalitarian social structure
• changing and fluid ethnic identities
• alternative agricultural processes
• social structure sharing a high status to women

Question 10

the last enclosure

Answer 10

since 18th most regions on globe became subjected to state control: took advantage of technologies reducing obstacle of geography, forcing settlement to extract surplus or force them to change their economic activities similar to the ones employed by the state
zomia last enclosure ein the world

Question 11

hill people were potential source, challenge and threat

Answer 11

• potential source of traded goods that states wanted to appropriate and human labor
• challenge: MOP difficult to frame for taxation and located in areas difficult to access
• threat: raid borders, attractive option for citizens

Question 12

why did people flee state control

Answer 12

didn’t fit with narrative created: not free, bad living conditions, rely on single crop. escape to avoid slavery, epidemics, famine

Question 13

how did groups escape estates

Answer 13

by developing in complete opposition to the state: select locations where they could hide and adopt shifting agriculture (root crops), nomadic habits

Question 14

symbiotic relation between states and non states

Question 15

enclosure movement