Received a great tip to look up ZOMIA. I had never heard of it.
Here is 1 (un)sophisticated introduction to ZOMIA, followed by a more sophisticated presentation by this dude James Scott who wrote a book about it.
ZOMIA is an are of mountainous high-elevation lands in southeast asia, where there has been a long history (until recently?) of STATE-LESS peoples. No Lord, no ruler, taxes, tithes etc. Yet apparently, through the right eyes, these people thrive and live well, learning to co-operate and manage the land without assistance or interference from anyone daring to claim 'authority'.
A sort of living anarchist state, that we never learn about in 'geography' or world nationalities...
(In fact the presenter argues that the whole idea of 'nation states' with a clear border, flag, ruler, and system of taxes/control over a population can only really be applied globally within the past 100 years alone at best. I found this interesting and frightening; 1st divide the earth into identifiable states, then amalgamate the states. Good strategy :shock: )
He argues that these 'stateless' people in the mountains of southeast asia were not just leftover primitives that didn't keep up with cilvilization, but are quite possibly DELIBERATE ESCAPEES from state-ism/serfdom/capitalism.
He argues that in the past, to rule over populations in the mountains was physically unfeasible; was too hard to access, too hard to get the resources out, etc etc... and that there is a history of peoples in many places in the world 'fleeing to the mountains' to avoid being assimilated.
He discusses how in Africa, many people fled to the mountainous regions to escape the slave-trade, and that such populations flourished for some time having avoided foreign ideas of slavery or colonialism.
He also argues that WRITTEN HISTORY and LITERACY is a sort of trap, that once a culture begins to do this, that they are suddenly bound to it, and the ability to narrow and steer our idea of 'ourselves' is potent. He argues that such peoples like in Zomia also have a pattern of 'losing' their literacy and thus their 'known' history as another way of rebelling and escaping control of a capitalist ruling culture of ownership and empire.
Very fascinating. Goes with some of the 'Off-Grid' talk here... maybe I need to move back to the mountains :D
(PS: mind the pretentious bitch at the beginning of the second video, lol - the presenter for the lecture is not quite so painful to listen to :D )
