Domination and the Arts of Resistance

“Scott argues his thesis uncompromisingly and with relentless power. From his vantage point it is easy to see through many standard illusions of social science. . . . Scott’s argument is all the more persuasive for the wealth of cases he brings under his magnifying-glass and for the vibrancy and liveliness of his style. One is tempted to say that his own discourse is a revelation of that transcript normally hidden by the ‘official’ discourse of sociology and an example of how rich and fascinating such hidden transcripts can be by comparison with the rhetoric of pretence.”—Zygmunt Bauman, Times Literary Supplement

“Likely to become a classic work of theory in the social sciences and history. Its arguments are original, subtle, clear, and accessible to readers without theoretical inclinations.”—John D. Rogers, Journal of Asian Studies

“A careful analysis of the symbolic politics of resistance. Scott’s central innovation in this work is his distinction between public transcripts . . . and hidden transcripts. . . . Domination and the Arts of Resistance is an important contribution to the study of the politics and lived experience of power. It provides an important new paradigm in terms of which we can conceptualize the experience and agency of domination. It weaves together an imposing body of empirical and historical scholarship. And it makes engaging use of literary sources in developing the central theoretical construct and giving it nuance and shading. The product is a compelling and richly textured argument that will be essential reading for anyone concerned with the politics of domination and subordination.”—Daniel Little, Political Theory

“Scott’s probing analysis of the roots of ‘counterhegemonic discourse’ is a major contribution to the study of social and political change.”—Choice

“Advanc[es] scholarship and produc[es] interesting, even fascinating, insights and other provocations.”—Indochina Chronology

“An exciting book for sociologists and political scientists redolent as it is with libertarian philosophical analysis and close observation of people in denigrated and downtrodden circumstances.”—Nigel Williams, Self and Society

“A penetrating critique of theories of hegemony and false consciousness that see the subordinates as unreflecting consumers of dominant ideologies and that attribute manipulative skills solely to the powerful. . . . A wide-ranging discussion of the possibilities of the ‘arts of political disguise.’ . . . A very fine and suggestive book that has opened up many new avenues of exploration for all social scientists interested in the deeper complexities of power relationships.”—Bob Scribner, American Journal of Sociology

“This inspiring book sets forth a general theory of discourse and power relations. . . . A superb example of theory that keeps close to the ground of ethnographic evidence, his own as well as an erudite array of examples eclectically drawn from other ethnographies, slave narratives, historical broadsheets, archives, folklore, popular culture, and literature. . . . A bracing antidote to narrow circumscriptions of the public sphere that are, by and large, bounded by middle-class experience and privilege.”—Dwight Conquergood, Quarterly Journal of Speech

“An amazingly prodigious, sophisticated book.”—Robin D. G. Kelley, American Quarterly

“Scott’s work, with its index of many of the forms and determinants of disguised discourse is an impressive and practical strategy for replacing the ‘humble folk’ with a politicized folk, or otherwise investigating the social category of the discipline.”—Tracy M. Lord, Journal of American Folklore

“An extremely well-crafted, provocative book that explores both the public and private discourses of the powerful and the powerless. . . . In brilliantly articulating the role of culture and voice in domination and resistance, this book itself becomes a public transcript of sociological issues which have often been ignored or underestimated.”—John Gaventa, Contemporary Sociology

Received an Honorable Mention for the 1990 Professional/Scholarly Publishing Division Award in the History, Government, and Political Science category given by the AAP


“Drawing on a dazzling array of source material, the book is a wonderful read as well as a provocative discussion of a global phenomenon of great importance. It seems destined to throw out a major challenge to the existing literature on power and domination, and to set in train a new school of research.”—Anthony Reid, Australian National University

“An engaging as well as intellectually provocative book, this will be a major theoretical contribution to debates about power.”—Theda Skocpol, Harvard University

“A splendid study, surely one of the most important that has appeared on the whole matter of power and resistance. It is rich in apt evidence and extremely effective and original.”—Natalie Zemon Davis, Princeton University