Domination and the Arts of Resistance : Hidden Transcripts

Scott, James C.

ISBN 10: 0300056699 / ISBN 13: 9780300056693

Published by Yale University Press, 1992

About this Item

Unread book in perfect condition.

Seller Inventory # 482427

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Domination and the Arts of Resistance : Hidden Transcripts
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication Date: 1992
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0300056699
• ISBN 13: 9780300056693
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: As New

About this title

Synopsis

“A splendid study, surely one of the most important that has appeared on the whole matter of power and resistance.”—Natalie Zemon Davis
 
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.

About the Author

James C. Scott (1936–2024) was Sterling Professor of Political Science and Professor of Anthropology Emeritus at Yale University. His many books include Seeing Like a State, Agrarian Studies, The Art of Not Being Governed, and Against the Grain.