Malaysia’s PM Anwar mourns passing of influential anthropologist James C. Scott

Anwar described Scott’s works as “exceptional” and expressed his deep sadness at the professor’s passing in a post to his official social media accounts, noting how much of an impact the academic’s research had on him.

Born in New Jersey in 1936, Scott taught political science at Yale University, where he was appointed a sterling professor – the university’s highest rank, reserved for those considered to be the best in their field – in 2001. He passed away on Friday at the age of 87.

Scott’s primary research centred on peasants in Southeast Asia and their strategies of resistance to various forms of domination, as exemplified by the titles of his books: Weapons of the Weak, Domination and the Arts of Resistance, The Art of Not Being Governed and Against the Grain.

“His seminal 1985 work, ‘Weapons of the Weak,’ based on two years of meticulous field research in a Kedah village, has always resonated with me, recalling my activism for the rural folk in Kedah in the 1970s,” Anwar wrote in his post, published late on Monday.

The book examines subtle, everyday forms of resistance employed by Malaysian peasants, such as foot-dragging and petty theft, to challenge economic exploitation and traditional power structures, revealing the class struggles within rural communities .

A radical student leader at the time, Anwar was arrested in 1974 during a student protest in support of rural farmers in Baling, Kedah, and served 20 months in jail, his first of several stints behind bars.

“Despite writing many other books, ‘Weapons of the Weak’ remained his crowning achievement,” the prime minister wrote.

Anwar, an avid book reader and close friend of academia, said Southeast Asian studies must continue to be championed to foster future scholars