Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States

The book "Seeing Like a State" by James C.

Scott is a groundbreaking exploration of the origins of civilization, challenging the conventional narrative that agriculture led to the development of states.

Through a detailed examination of archaeological and historical evidence, Scott reveals that early agrarian states were born of accumulations of domestications, including fire, plants, livestock, subjects of the state, captives, and finally women in the patriarchal family.

He argues that humans avoided sedentism and plow agriculture due to the advantages of mobile subsistence, and that early states were based on millets and cereal grains and unfree labor.

The book also explores the tension between states and nonsubject peoples, and how "barbarians" long evaded state control.

This thought-provoking work has become a touchstone for political scientists and amounts to a blistering critique of central planning and "high modernism." Don't miss out on this fascinating journey into the origins of civilization!