Farmers of Forty Centuries: Organic Farming in China, Korea and Japan

by Franklin Hiram King
Farmers of Forty Centuries: Organic Farming in China, Korea and Japan cover
Good Books rating 4.25
Technical
  • ID: 5195
  • Added: 2025-10-22
  • Updated: 2025-10-22
  • Reviews: 4
Reviews
goodreads.com · Unknown · 2025-10-23
intriguing 3.50

The book challenges traditional views of civilization's origins, arguing that early states were oppressive and that sedentarism was a mistake. It explores why humans chose agriculture despite its drawbacks, but lacks an analysis of class formation.

Against the Grain by James C. Scott challenges the traditional narrative of the Neolithic agricultural revolution, arguing that early states were oppressive and that sedentarism was a mistake. The book explores why humans chose agriculture despite its drawbacks, such as increased labor, reduced nutrition, and higher disease rates. However, it lacks an analysis of class formation, which is a significant oversight. The reviewer appreciates the book's revisionist history but finds it incomplete in its analysis of social structures.

Quick quotes

    The early Mesopotamian states were hardly positive developments for most of their people.

    Far from being seen as regrettable backsliding and privation, it may well have been experienced as a marked improvement in safety, nutrition and social order.

    Humans were domesticated by agriculture as surely as various species of animals and plants were domesticated by humans.

biblio.co.uk · Unknown · 2025-10-23
intriguing 4.50

The review discusses James C. Scott's book 'Against the Grain', which challenges the conventional narrative of the transition from hunter-gatherer societies to agricultural civilizations. The book argues that this transition was more complex and bidirectional than previously thought, with evidence suggesting that agriculture and sedentism did not necessarily go hand in hand. The review highlights Scott's use of recent archaeological findings to debunk long-held assumptions about the origins of civilization.

James C. Scott's 'Against the Grain' offers a fresh perspective on the transition from hunter-gatherer societies to agricultural civilizations, challenging the traditional narrative. The book argues that this transition was more complex and bidirectional than previously thought, with evidence suggesting that agriculture and sedentism did not necessarily go hand in hand. The review highlights Scott's use of recent archaeological findings to debunk long-held assumptions about the origins of civilization. For instance, the book discusses how agriculture was not as straightforward as initially believed, with various practices and tools existing before intentional cultivation. It also explores how sedentism was not always tied to agriculture, with examples of non-agricultural societies living in one place year-round. The review praises Scott's ability to present a nuanced and evidence-based argument that challenges conventional wisdom.

Quick quotes

    The transition from mobile bands of hunter-gatherers to sedentary agriculturalists didn’t follow that neat logical progression, and it was far patchier, more tenuous, and more bidirectional than generally assumed.

    Our simple story is already getting complicated! But it gets worse.

    It was here, near the mouth of the Euphrates on the Persian Gulf, that the earliest “statelets” arose, and it’s here, once again, that Scott brings up recent archaeological evidence that undermines the usual narrative.

ebay.co.uk · Unknown · 2025-10-23
brilliant 4.50

Against the Grain challenges the traditional narrative of the transition from hunter-gatherers to farmers, presenting a counter-narrative that highlights the negative impacts of agriculture. The book explores the archaeological and historical evidence to argue that domestication and sedentism preceded agriculture, and that early states were fragile and often short-lived due to various factors.

Against the Grain by James C. Scott challenges the conventional view of the transition from hunter-gatherers to farmers as a progression. The book argues that this shift had significant negative impacts on human health and well-being. Scott presents a counter-narrative that draws on archaeological and historical evidence to show that domestication and sedentism actually preceded agriculture. The book also explores the reasons why early states were often fragile and short-lived, highlighting the ecological and epidemiological costs of agriculture and urbanism. They liked the book, but think some of the plot is thin.

Quick quotes

    Scott tackles this subject from many angles, summarising accumulating archaeological and historical evidence to provide a fine counter-narrative.

    The idea that domestication led to sedentism and agriculture is outdated.

    As mentioned above, agriculture did not automatically lead to the next step, state formation.

goodreads.com · Unknown · 2025-10-23
thought-provoking 4.50

The book offers a deep history of early states, challenging traditional narratives about the benefits of agriculture and state formation. It argues that early states were fragile, oppressive, and not always desirable, highlighting the agency of nonstate peoples who chose alternative lifestyles.

In _Against the Grain_, James C. Scott synthesizes recent research on domestication, sedentism, and state formation, focusing on Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China. He challenges the traditional view of the 'Neolithic revolution,' arguing that agriculture and state formation were not inevitable or universally beneficial. Instead, he suggests that early states were fragile, oppressive, and often unhealthy, with a focus on controlling populations for taxation and labor. The book emphasizes the agency of nonstate peoples who chose not to form agrarian states, preferring diverse subsistence strategies. Scott's work is well-researched and thought-provoking, offering a counterpoint to the idea of civilization as an automatic 'good' and the result of progress through discrete stages of development. It is suitable for both nonspecialist readers and professionals interested in state formation and the relationships between states and nonstate peoples.

Quick quotes

    Our ancestors did not rush headlong into the Neolithic revolution or into the arms of the earliest states.

    Flight from the urban state domains to the periphery was quite common, but, as it contradicts the narrative of the state as a civilizing benefactor of its subjects, it is relegated to obscure legal codes.

    To the already considerable perils of the crowded Neolithic complex, the superimposition of the state added an additional layer of fragility and insecurity.

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