Category Archives: The State

The Enemy of All

Posted on July 20, 2011 by Teo Ballvé

Heller-Rozen, Daniel. 2009. The Enemy of All: Piracy and the Law of Nations. Boston: Zone Books. Daniel Heller-Rozen’s The Enemy of All departs from a deceptively simple question: How is it that the pirate came to be the original enemy … Continue reading →

Posted in Boundaries, Frontiers, Gender, Historical-Geographies, Illegality, Insurgency/Counterinsurgency, Land, Law, Pirates, Power, Sovereignty, Spatiality, Territory, Terror, The Sea, The State | 4 Comments

The Many-Headed Hydra

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Teo Ballvé

Linebaugh, Peter and Marcus Rediker. 2000. The Many-Headed Hydra: Sailors, Slaves, Commoners, and the Hidden History of the Revolutionary Atlantic. Boston: Beacon Press. Peter Linebaugh and Marcus Rediker’s groundbreaking book uncovers the history of the many Motley Crews—the many-headed hydras—across … Continue reading →

Posted in Bandits, Everyday Life, Frontiers, Historical-Geographies, Illegality, Insurgency/Counterinsurgency, Law, Nation/Nationalism, Networks, Pirates, Race & Ethnicity, Territory, Terror, The Sea, The State, Violence | 1 Comment

Albion’s Fatal Tree

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Teo Ballvé

Hay, Douglas et al. 1975. Albion’s Fatal Tree: Crime and Society in Eighteenth-Century England. New York: Pantheon Books. In the preface of Albion’s Fatal Tree the authors explain that their main concern is the law in eighteenth century England as … Continue reading →

Posted in Bandits, City, Forests, Hegemony, Historical Materialism, Illegality, Insurgency/Counterinsurgency, Land, Law, Marxism, Political Ecology, Political Economy, Power, Primitive Accumulation, Science & Tech., Terror, The Body, The Sea, The State, Violence | 2 Comments

Whigs and Hunters

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Teo Ballvé

Thompson, E.P. 1975. Whigs and Hunters: The Origin of the Black Act. New York: Pantheon Books. EP Thompson’s classic Whigs and Hunters: The Origins of the Black Act traces the confluence of property, law, and crime in a transitional moment … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Bandits, Boundaries, Forests, Historical Materialism, Historical-Geographies, Illegality, Insurgency/Counterinsurgency, Land, Law, Marxism, Political Ecology, Political Economy, Power, Spatiality, Terror, The State, Violence | 4 Comments

Moral Economy of the Crowd

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Teo Ballvé

Thompson, E.P. 1993. Customs in Common: Studies in Traditional Popular Culture. New York: New Press. [Ch. 4 & 5] E.P. Thompson’s essay “The Moral Economy of the English Crowd” questions the usual portrayal of eighteenth century food riots as “spasmodic … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, City, Historical Materialism, Illegality, Insurgency/Counterinsurgency, Law, Marxism, Political Economy, Power, The State, Violence | 7 Comments

Marx: Law on Thefts of Wood

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Teo Ballvé

Marx, Karl. 1842. “Debates on Law on Thefts of Wood.” Rheinische Zeitung. Nos. 298, 300, 303, 305 and 307. As editor of the Rheinische Zeitung in 1842-1843, Marx found himself having to cover what he deemed the “uninspiring debates” of … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Bandits, Forests, Illegality, Karl Marx, Land, Law, Marxism, Political Ecology, Political Economy, Power, Primitive Accumulation, The State | Comments Off on Marx: Law on Thefts of Wood

Understories in Northern New Mexico

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Teo Ballvé

Kosek, Jake. 2006. Understories: The Political Life of Forests in Northern New Mexico. Durham: Duke University Press. Jake Kosek’s Understories: The Political Life of Forests in Northern New Mexico is a solid model for the presentation of research. He brilliantly … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Everyday Life, Forests, Frontiers, Governmentality, Historical-Geographies, Land, Law, Michel Foucault, Nation/Nationalism, Place, Political Ecology, Power, Race & Ethnicity, Science & Tech., Spatiality, Territory, The Body, The State, Violence | 1 Comment

Weapons of the Weak

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Teo Ballvé

Scott, James. 1985. Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance. New Haven: Yale University Press. James Scott’s influential Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance offers a compelling thesis on peasant politics and social change in … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Everyday Life, Hegemony, Land, Law, Political Ecology, Political Economy, Post-Colonial, Power, The State, Violence | 2 Comments

A Different Kind of War Story

Posted on July 7, 2011 by Teo Ballvé

Nordstrom, Carolyn. 1997. A Different Kind of War Story. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Carolyn Nordstrom’s A Different Kind of War Story is an incredible work of scholarship. She pulls no punches when it comes to portraying the frontline horrors … Continue reading →

Posted in Everyday Life, Hegemony, Insurgency/Counterinsurgency, Peace, Post-Colonial, Scale, Terror, The State, Violence | 2 Comments

Engendering Everyday Resistance

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Teo Ballvé

Hart, Gillian. 1991. “Engendering Everyday Resistance.” Journal of Peasant Studies. 19(1): 93-121. Gillian Hart’s much-cited article “Engendering Everyday Resistance” seeks to answer why women in the Muda region of Malaysia came “to define and prosecute their interests as workers, whereas … Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Everyday Life, Gender, Land, Political Economy, Post-Colonial, Power, Race & Ethnicity, The State | Comments Off on Engendering Everyday Resistance