Infrapolitics and Mobilizations: A Response by James C. Scott

Abstract

The author of the book "Domination and the Arts of Resistance: Hidden Transcripts," responds to articles within this issue on topics embracing his theories of infrapolitics. Examples of infrapolitics are given which include how a village of peasant farmers in Malaysia effectively nullified the Muslim zakat tax imposed by the government through under-reporting and non-compliance; the widespread practice of poaching in England between 1650 and 1850 which indicated that the lower classes refused to accept land-ownership rights over unimproved lands; and the impact of military desertion from the Confederate Army on the outcome of the U.S. Civil War.