Book · 2009 · Politics and government
The Art of Not Being Governed
- episodes
- 8
- podcasts
- 5
- people
- 3
- episode recommends it
- 1
If we look instead as people who have chosen to refuse the state, then we understand anarchism as a choice.
Questions about The Art of Not Being Governed by James C. Scott
Who recommends The Art of Not Being Governed by James C. Scott on podcasts?
Dan Wang (1 episode) has recommended The Art of Not Being Governed by James C. Scott on podcasts. In all, 3 people brought it up across 5 podcasts (1 person recommended it).
Which podcasts mention The Art of Not Being Governed the most?
Behind the Bastards (4 episodes), Conversations with Tyler (1 episode), EconTalk (1 episode), Freakonomics Radio (1 episode) and Invest Like the Best (1 episode).
Is The Art of Not Being Governed recommended, or only discussed?
The Art of Not Being Governed by James C. Scott was recommended in 1 episode and discussed without a recommendation in 7 episodes, as of 2026-07-11.
What do people say about The Art of Not Being Governed?
Mentioned on Behind the Bastards (2025-04-05): "If we look instead as people who have chosen to refuse the state, then we understand anarchism as a choice."
When was The Art of Not Being Governed last mentioned on a podcast?
The Art of Not Being Governed by James C. Scott was last discussed on Behind the Bastards by James Stout on 2026-07-11.
What they say about it
- Discusses state control and stateless people“exist outside of the state”4
- Praises it as best work“very best work”2
The best things said about it
James C. Scott's very best work is The Art of Not Being Governed, in which he did extensive fieldwork in Yunnan, as well as the broader zone of southwest China and southeast Asia, which is heavily mountainous, an area that is larger than Western Europe.
The Art of Not Being Governed, which is about highland Southeast Asia.
Like Jim Scott I guess kind of deals with this a little bit right in the art of not being governed when he's talking about the idea that those who exist without the state are behind those who exist within the state as opposed to just on a different pathway they've chosen to follow.
One of Scott's best works maybe his very best work is called The Art of Not Being Governed in which he wrote about a zone he called Zomia.
James C. Scott, right, talks about the idea of people who exist outside of the state being labeled as primitive by the state.
James C. Scott talks about this right in The Art of Not Being Governed. This idea that these mountains were never really places that were amenable to state control.
Where and when it comes up
Most episodes, by podcast
Why people recommend it
The Art of Not Being Governed by James C. Scott is an anarchist history of highland Southeast Asia that examines how populations have historically evaded state control. The book received significant attention across multiple podcast discussions for its insights into populations living outside the reach of formal governance. On Invest Like the Best, Dan Wang recommended the book to listeners while discussing highland peoples who resisted state control. Wang also praised the book on Conversations with Tyler, describing it as Scott's finest work and highlighting the author's extensive fieldwork in Yunnan, southwest China, and Southeast Asia across a mountainous region larger than Western Europe. Wang returned to the book on Freakonomics Radio to further illustrate human populations actively resisting organized states. On Behind the Bastards, James Stout and the host frequently referenced the text. Stout mentioned the book on multiple episodes to discuss how mountainous terrain historically resisted state control, how conventional narratives incorrectly frame stateless people as primitive rather than following a chosen alternative pathway, and how viewing stateless groups as people who consciously refused state authority reframes our understanding of anarchism. Andrew also cited the book on Behind the Bastards to examine how established states label individuals existing outside their control. Finally, on EconTalk, Omer Moav referenced the title alongside Scott's other work while discussing historical theories of state formation and the emergence of governments.
Every mention
Dan Wang And um if I can throw in another Scott work for listeners, it is the art of not being governed, which is ab… 3
“I think that, by far, James C. Scott's very best work is The Art of Not Being Governed, in which he did extensive fieldwork in Yunnan, as well as the broader zone of southwest China and southeast Asia, which is heavily mountainous, an area that is larger than Western Europe.”
“And um if I can throw in another Scott work for listeners, it is the art of not being governed, which is about highland Southeast Asia.”
“And one of Scott's best works maybe his very best work is called the art of not being governed in which he wrote about a zone he called Zomia.”
James Stout We like the wild people like but yeah this this narrative I mean James C. Scott talks about this right in t… 2
“Like Jim Scott I guess kind of deals with this a little bit right in the art of not being governed when he's talking about the idea that those who exist without the state are behind those who exist within the state as opposed to just on a different pathway they've chosen to follow.”
“We like the wild people like but yeah this this narrative I mean James C. Scott talks about this right in the art of not being governed. This idea that these mountains were never really places that were amenable to state control”
Omer Moav so you I could point I mean James Scott is famous for that with his two best sellers not being God the art… 1
“so you I could point I mean James Scott is famous for that with his two best sellers not being God the art of not being governed and against the grain”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker2
“Actually, this is a really interesting this I've had this James C. Scott, right, talks about the idea of people who exist outside of the state being labeled as primitive by the state. Um it's in the art of not being governed.”
“And Jim Scott does this in the art of not being governed. Right? Like if we look instead as people who have chosen to refuse the state, then we understand anarchism as as a choice.”