Escape Crops Quote by James C. Scott
““New World escape crops made the economics of escape as tempting as its politics. Colonial officials tended to stigmatize cassava and maize as crops of lazy natives whose main aim was to shirk work. In the New World, too, those whose job it was to drive the population into wage labor or onto the plantation deplored crops that allowed a free peasantry to maintain its autonomy. Hacienda owners in Central America claimed that with cassava, all a peasant needed was a shotgun and a fishhook and he would cease to work regularly for wages.””
About This Quote
Source Book: “The Moral Economy of the Peasant” (1976)
Colonial powers discouraged crops like cassava and maize because they enabled peasants to stay autonomous and avoid wage labor.
In simple terms: Colonialists feared self‑sufficient peasants.
Key Takeaway
Support sustainable agriculture.
Themes
colonialism
agriculture
autonomy
Mood
critical
historical
Type
economic
political
When to use this quote
- rural development
- food security
- colonial policy
Key Concepts
economics
power dynamics
Questions to Reflect On
- How do today’s policies affect crop choices?
- Can autonomy be balanced with development?
A Different Perspective
Modern contexts differ; crops have new roles.
