The Art of Not Being Governed

The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia is a book by American anthropologist James C. Scott, published in 2009 and analyzing the high-altitude Zomia region of southeast Asia. Zomia's 100 million residents are minority peoples "of truly bewildering ethnic and linguistic variety", he writes, who have long avoided being ruled or dominated by surrounding empires, cultures or governments. Among them are the Akha, Hmong, Karen, Lahu, Mien, and Wa peoples.