Published in
University of California Press, Journal of Vietnamese Studies, 2(2), p. 57-107, 2007
Links
Tools
From the Moral Economy to the World Economy: Revisiting Vietnamese Peasants in a Globalizing Era
Full text: Unavailable
Abstract
This paper revisits themes from a classic text on Vietnam, The Moral Economy of the Peasant (1976), by James C. Scott. Fieldwork undertaken in Nghêê Tĩĩnh provides a contemporary re-examination of some of the key premises of Scott's book. The article argues that a "moral economy" that guarantees a right to subsistence, based on normative values and risk-averse behavior, does indeed still exist. Recent protests and rebellious acts that mirror previous revolts in the region are also noted, and changes in the agrarian sector that may be a result of Vietnam's recent WTO accession are discussed.