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Everyday Resistance & Local Power: Exploring James C. Scott with Mike Rowe
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In this episode Nancy Hess and Mike Rowe from the University of Liverpool explore James C. Scott's groundbreaking book "Seeing Like a State" and its powerful implications for local government.
Discover how governments make society "legible" through mapping and regulation, why top-down planning often fails, and how everyday acts of resistance shape our communities. From Brasília's utopian architecture to contract farming's unintended consequences, this conversation reveals how Scott's insights help us understand everything from zoning disputes to the hidden knowledge that really keeps organizations running. Essential listening for anyone working in public administration, urban planning, or community development.
SHOW NOTES:
00:00 - 03:00 - Introduction and Context
Nancy introduces the episode structure and Scott's four key concepts; Mike explains discovering Scott's work at the intersection of public administration and anthropology
03:00 - 07:00 - Everyday Forms of Resistance
Explainer on hidden resistance in daily life; discussion of Indonesian flood management and animistic land practices
07:00 - 11:00 - From Job Descriptions to Legibility
Nancy's organizational development experience; Mike's story about the two women who "really ran" the university; introduction to legibility concept
11:00 - 16:00 - Legibility and Simplification
Explainer on cadastral mapping and forest management; immigration policy as example of complex simplification
16:00 - 20:00 - Planning and Local Knowledge
Discussion of urban sprawl, high-speed rail planning challenges, and Colin Ward's anarchist architecture
20:00 - 24:00 - Cadastral Mapping and Zoning
Historical context of land mapping for taxation; modern parallels in small business and cash economy
24:00 - 30:00 - High Modernism and Brasília
Explainer on Le Corbusier's influence; the story of Brasília's construction workers creating thriving informal settlements
30:00 - 36:00 - Agricultural Simplification
Contract farming as modern example; loss of generational farming knowledge; comparison to contracting out government services
36:00 - 42:00 - Local Government Applications
Lancaster County agriculture, mushroom farms vs. new developments, building on floodplains; practical advice for policy-making
42:00 - 43:00 - Conclusion
Reflections on Scott's political reception and continuing relevance
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