1. In the class reading from the book The art of not being governed James Scott argues that statelessness throughout history does not signify backwardness but was, rather, the goal of many peoples who lived near early agrarian states. What are the conditions that support his hypothesis, and what strategies did people use to maintain their stateless identity?
2. What is "Zomia" and what significance does it hold for James Scott's argument? How does it relate to the traditional vision of human history? How does it challenge the centrality of the state in civilizational narratives?
3. Describe the idealized Westphalian sovereign territorial state system and explain the key ways in which it differs from the medieval European political order.
Resources :
1. State Sovereignty as Social Construct By Thomas J.Biersteker and Cynthia Weber
2. Hills,Valleys and States : An Introduction to Zomia
Terms and concepts: Be able to define/describe and discuss the significance of the following:
State (Weber's definition)
The difference between de jure and de facto sovereignty
Scott's account of states and statelessness, including 1) strategies of statelessness, and 2) reasons why statelessness was the norm until recently
The historical development of early agrarian states (necessary elements of)
The chief characteristics of the medieval European political order
Peace of Augsburg
The two fundamental elements of sovereignty as defined by Murphy
The historical development of the sovereign territorial state system along the two elements of sovereignty identified by Murphy
Nation (objective and subjective definitions of)
Differences between categories of nation, state and ethnic group
Nationalism (Gellner's definition)
Nationalism and the modern state (theories of the development of)
The differences between reform nationalism, unification nationalism and separatist
nationalism according to Breuilly
The civic versus ethnic nationalism distinction
Homeland
Nationalist/perennialist and modernist perspectives on the "age" of nations
The constructivist critique of nationalist, perennialist and modernist perspectives on nations and nationalism
The territorialization of state and nation (strategies through which this is achieved according to Kaiser)
Kaiser's localizing the nation/nationalizing localities argument
Governmentality (two elements of)
Scott's argument concerning the relationship between legibility and various reforms pursued by early modern and modern states
Biopolitics
Globalization (Held's 4-part definition)
Transnational corporations (TNCs)
Export processing zones (EPZs)
Gupta and Ferguson's argument concerning transnational governmentality
State verticality and encompassment (as defined by Gupta and Ferguson)