Against the grain : a deep history of the earliest states / James C. Scott

This study challenges traditional narratives regarding the rise of early civilisations by examining archaeological evidence of domestication and sedentary agriculture. It explores the origins of agrarian states, the impact of disease, and the role of unfree labour.

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May 11, 2026 11:48
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Accession Number: 12583

Site: Vernon O Content

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Binding Type: Hard Back

Dimensions: 234.00mm (H) × 156.00mm (W) × 22.00mm (T)

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vernon_accession 12583
vernon_id 19723
vernon_slug against-the-grain-a-deep-history-of-the-earliest-states-james-c-scott
vernon_authors James C. Scott
vernon_tags Persons, City-states, Grain -- Storage, Granaries, Political psychology, Nomads -- Sedentarisation, Political science, Social sciences, Civilisation, Sociology, War, International relations, Grain, Political science -- Philosophy, Social history, Food, Animals, Cities and towns, Human settlements, Big history, Human ecology, Agriculture -- History, Agriculture, Ecology, Environmental sciences, Science, Domestication, Horticulture, History, Ancient, World history, Slavery, Crimes against humanity, Crime, Social problems, Neolithic period, Stone age, History, Domestic animals, Archaeology
vernon_production_date 2017
vernon_brief_description An account of all the new and surprising evidence now available for the beginnings of the earliest civilizations that contradict the standard narrative Why did humans abandon hunting and gathering for sedentary communities dependent on livestock and cereal grains, and governed by precursors of today s states? Most people believe that plant and animal domestication allowed humans, finally, to settle down and form agricultural villages, towns, and states, which made possible civilization, law, public order, and a presumably secure way of living. But archaeological and historical evidence challenges this narrative. The first agrarian states, says James C. Scott, were born of accumulations of domestications: first fire, then plants, livestock, subjects of the state, captives, and finally women in the patriarchal family-all of which can be viewed as a way of gaining control over reproduction. Scott explores why we avoided sedentism and plow agriculture, the advantages of mobile subsistence, the unforeseeable disease epidemics arising from crowding plants, animals, and grain, and why all early states are based on millets and cereal grains and unfree labor. He also discusses the barbarians who long evaded state control, as a way of understanding continuing tension between states and nonsubject peoples.
vernon_object_type Books/Document genres/Information forms/Visual and Verbal Communication
vernon_locations On Shelf, Stored
vernon_ob_status Accessioned
vernon_isbn_issn 9780300182910
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vernon_last_sync_timestamp 2026-04-27 11:00
vernon_cover_image_id 19906
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