The moral economy of the peasant

The book places the critical problem of the peasant household—subsistence—at its center.

Scott argues that the highest priority for most peasants is ensuring their incomes do not fall below a minimal subsistence level.

He draws from the history of agrarian society in lower Burma and Vietnam to show how the transformations of the colonial era systematically violated the peasants’ ‘moral economy’ and created a situation of potential rebellion and revolution.

The book highlights how peasants view elites as having a moral obligation to respect peasant needs and how modernization often reduces peasant leverage, leading to reactions such as riot or rebellion.