The Art of Domination and Resistance: The Hidden Script (translated by Wang Jiapeng, Nanjing University Press, 2021) is an important work by the renowned American political scientist and anthropologist James C. Scott. The core content of this book reveals the hidden aspects of power relations, particularly how subordinate groups engage in everyday forms of resistance without openly challenging authority.
Scott first introduces two key concepts to analyze power relations:
Public Script: Refers to the public interactions that occur between power holders (dominators) and subordinates. These interactions follow established power rules and rituals, characterized by performative nature. Subordinates typically display compliance, respect, and acknowledgment of the dominator’s authority in such contexts. For example, the obedience of slaves in front of their masters or the compliance of employees before their bosses.
Hidden Script: This is the focus of the book. It refers to the speech and actions that occur “backstage,” out of the sight of power holders. In the realm of the hidden script, subordinate groups can relatively safely express their true views, dissatisfaction, anger, and resistance against dominators. It includes:
Private mockery, jokes, rumors, and curses.
Covert sabotage, such as work slowdowns, laziness, feigning ignorance, or secretly damaging tools or property.
Cultural expressions, such as the satire and criticism of authority embedded in folk tales, songs, and jokes.
Main Arguments:
1.Everyday Forms of Resistance: Scott argues that most historical resistance from subordinate groups does not manifest in grand revolutionary forms but rather as countless trivial, ongoing “everyday resistance.” Although these actions may seem insignificant individually, they can cumulatively greatly deplete the costs and efficiency of domination while maintaining the dignity and autonomy of subordinate groups.
2.Critique of False Consciousness: The book powerfully challenges the “false consciousness” theory (which posits that subordinate groups are blinded by ideology and genuinely accept their subordinate status). Scott believes that the public compliance of subordinates is merely a strategic performance, and their hidden scripts demonstrate a clear awareness of power dynamics and critical consciousness, only choosing not to express it publicly out of fear of retaliation.
3.The Symbiotic Relationship of Domination and Resistance: The public script and hidden script are interdependent and coexist. Without the hidden script as a safety valve, the oppressive nature of the public script would be difficult to maintain. Dominators often tacitly allow the existence of hidden scripts as long as they do not threaten the stability of the public script.
4.The Limitations of Power: The book reveals that even the most powerful authoritarian regimes have limited ability to penetrate society and control people’s thoughts and private speech. The existence of hidden scripts delineates the boundaries of actual power control.
Scott cites a wealth of examples from different histories and cultures around the globe to support his theory, including:
1.Resistance under Slavery: Slaves appear compliant on the surface but resist privately through theft, feigning illness, damaging tools, and establishing their own communities and cultures.
2.Peasant Resistance against Landlords: Such as stealing crops from landlords, misreporting harvests, and spreading jokes and stories that mock landlords.
3.Everyday Life under Totalitarian Rule: People speak official rhetoric in public while privately trusting close friends and family, spreading political jokes, and finding various ways to evade state control.
The Core Contribution of The Art of Domination and Resistance: It provides us with a new and more complex perspective on understanding power and resistance. It tells us:
Do not judge a society’s power relations and people’s true attitudes solely based on public, official records.
Resistance from marginalized groups is widespread, but its forms are often covert and informal.
A significant part of real political life occurs “backstage,” and studying these hidden scripts is crucial for understanding social dynamics.