Rethinking Civilization: Why People Fled to the Hills

CrashCourse

This installment of Crash Course World History challenges the traditional narrative that human history is a linear progression from "primitive" hunter-gatherer societies to "advanced" civilizations. Host John Green introduces the work of anthropologist James Scott and his book "The Art of Not Being Governed," which argues that many so-called barbarian tribes were not people left behind by progress, but rather refugees who consciously fled to mountainous regions like Zomia to escape the coercion, taxation, and conscription of early states. The video explores the intrinsic link between settled agriculture, food surpluses, and the formation of states, explaining how early governments relied on concentrated populations for labor and taxes. It contrasts the life of valley-dwelling subjects with hill-dwelling "barbarians," suggesting that hill cultures often developed specific adaptations—such as lack of written records and shifting cultivation—to remain illegible to state powers. The content covers historical examples from the Han Dynasty, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and colonial Southeast Asia. Ideal for World History and Anthropology classes, this video serves as a powerful tool for teaching historiography and critical thinking. It prompts students to question who writes history and why, examining how the definition of "civilization" often privileges the state's perspective while marginalizing stateless peoples. It offers a complex view of human social organization, weighing the benefits of civilization (like the internet and antibiotics) against its costs (slavery, warfare, and disease).