Were the Miao Kings “Prophets of Renewal”? The Case of the 1795–1797 Hunan Miao Revolt

Abstract

This essay considers the concept of of introduced by James Scott in The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia (2009), as seen in the context of the 1795–97 revolt along China's Hunan-Guizhou border. The appearance of a Miao King and four Wu centering anti-Qing resistance in an intractable highland—utilizing native legends, spirit possession, investment of officials, and multi-ethnic Recruitment—suggests a case of Zomia (the vast Southeast Asian Massif) prophets in action, as Scott himself suggests. Closer examination, however, reveals a more complex and uncertain picture, characterized by division between rival lords and an overall dearth of institutional, ideological, or cosmological elaboration, all further obscured by a paucity of historical sources. The kings might be seen as prophets of renewal in a general sense, but the fit is inexact. There is still value, however, in considering Scott's model in the study of this event. It enables a sharper conceptualization of the agency of the people, while offering a case for comparison with analogous instances of religiously-based native resistance on other Qing frontiers.