By Naw Liang (London, United Kingdom)
Mai soong kha.
Inundated with work work and many other things not Shan, I have been eager to find something, anything Shan-related that I could sink my teeth into during those few stolen moments I manage to find each day. It's been tough work with few suitable results, though I am now set for Shan topics until at least next year (read: stay turned). Then, out of the blue, I found something - albeit a stretch - on the Shan by a well-known South East Asianist.
Enjoy.
Public Lectures and Events at the London School of Economics (LSE): 'Why Civilisations Can't Climb Hills: a political history of statelessness in Southeast Asia' by Professor James C Scott (May 2008)
In May 2008, world renowned professor of political science and anthropology (specifically South East Asia) at Yale University (USA), James C Scott, gave a lecture at the LSE on a topic that, although not specific to the Shan, definitely focused on peoples like them in mainland South East Asia. Scott, a prolific and respected scholar on a range of subjects, including social/cultural anthropology, agrarian studies, subaltern studies, political and social capital as well as political science, is probably best known for his volume "Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed" (1999), a vade mecum for up-and-coming anthropology, political science and even development professionals, students and scholars. He has spent the past 40+ years studying the intricacies of mainland South East Asian peoples and politics. What I am certain will become his latest book, simply titled "Introducing "Zomia"" by Harvard University for a recent talk, Scott discusses the 'cleavage' created between plains and hill peoples in Zomia, a recent geographical term for mainland South East Asia that is governed by lowland peoples, such as the Thai, Burmese, Vietnamese and even the Chinese. Scott has spent the last decade researching this area and the interplay between lowland (and powerful) ethnic groups and their hillside (and less powerful) neighbours. It is heavy stuff, but highly thoughtprovoking.
Without giving away the secrets of the lecture, Scott's LSE event sought to provide some insight into the fundamental arguments and theories that he is currently working through as "Introducing "Zomia"" is completed. The talk, which you can listen to here, provided insight into the gamut of Scott's fantastic knowledge of South East Asian politics, history, anthropology and more. Although at times dense (reference, concept) and idiom-thick - Scott has a penchant for languages and enjoys sharing numerous 'sayings' throughout - the 80+ minute lecture and Q&A session is enlightening. In particular, I enjoyed his intriguing and supported belief that, rather than being shoved to the periphery by stronger groups through a variety of forces (slavery, war, cultural dilution and so on), hill peoples chose the border areas, most often inaccessible, to 'escape' through 'escape agriculture', 'escape social structure' and 'escape culture' to preserve themselves the only way that they could. Furthermore, Scott's theory that the sense of history for stateless people, such as the Shan, is simply the memory of struggle is truly sad, but fitting. I am sure that many of you, after chewing on the content, will start to see where Scott just might be coming from.
I look forward to reading the book: 1. (not if, but) when it's out and; 2. when I can find the time.
Jom lii kha,
Naw Liang
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