When 8850 Form Governing 2016-2023

Welcome to the Macmillan Report. I'm Marilyn Wilkes, your host, and our guest is James Scott Stirling, professor of political science, professor of anthropology, and co-director of the Agrarian Studies program at Yale University. He is also the author of several books, including "Seeing Like a State." In today's episode, we will be talking with Professor Stirling about his newest book, "The Art of Not Being Governed," which explores why people choose to remain stateless. Professor Stirling's research focuses on political economy, comparative agrarian societies, peasant politics, Southeast Asia, theories of class relations, and anarchism. His book examines the lives of approximately 100 million people residing in the highland areas between Southeast Asia, China, and India. These individuals speak different languages and belong to various ethnic groups. While many perceive them as primitive, Professor Stirling argues that they have purposefully chosen to live in the hills, away from states, in order to avoid taxes, disease, wars, and conscription. When asked about what inspired him to write the book, Professor Stirling explains that his interest in Southeast Asian minority ethnic groups, particularly those in Burma, led him to delve into the deep history of Burmese politics and the relationship between valley people and hill people. From there, his research expanded to encompass the entire Southeast Asian region. In terms of methodology, Professor Stirling approaches his research more like an anthropologist, despite being trained as a political scientist. He has spent time living in a Malay village and conducted informal research by trekking in the hills of Burma. Additionally, he collated existing literature on these groups, analyzing their folklore, agriculture, histories, and movements. One of the key findings of his book is that the area under study can be classified as a "shatter zone," meaning it is a region where people fleeing states have sought...