Behind Ficial Story By James C. Scott

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Recommended: Nature of authority in power

No matter how you look at it, there will always will be a power struggle between the ones who have it and the ones that don’t have it. James C. Scott describes in his memoir “Behind the Official story”, James talks about political sciences in society and hidden transcripts in the public. James describes hidden transcripts as being “The public transcript, where it is not positively misleading, is unlikely to tell the whole story about power relations” (Scott 522). The hidden transcript is a lie and disguise for those who don’t have control and power. He argues about how both parties are misleading and conspiring against each other. Azar Nafisi also talks about power relations in her memoir “Reading Lolita in Tehran a memoir in books”. Azar is Muslim who host a book club with her friends as they talk about literature and are able to be themselves without the power of authority or presence of man in the room. The fact that there are hidden transcripts shows that Azar may be herself at home, but in public must be covered and be an obeying woman to the power of authority and men on the outside. If you really think about the only time when we have power and are away from Hidden transcripts is when we are in are homes, where we have power. Hidden Transcripts are things where you can be yourself in your own home and have the power to act and dress as you please without the power of authority hanging over your heads. In Nafisi talks about in her book how she would have a secret book meetings in her home. How she was shocked by her friends when they would undress from there black curtains of a dress and appear with colorful clothes and makeup on their faces. Azar states “When my students came into that room, they took off more...

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...d and where it all begun, how they all connected amongst themselves and became intertwined with each other, created a hidden transcript for themselves. Azar talks about being able to be her true self with the power of authority breathing down her neck. How when she moved into the apartment she was finally able to be able to where colorful clothes and be he self without the power authority telling her how to act in the public and what wear. Scott in this case would describe this as a hidden public transcript. Azar describes in her menorah that there two hidden transcripts of power. The one where she may undress in home and here colorful clothes and be herself read forbid literature, as in the public she must where black robes and scarves around there heads and obey the public’s eye of power that has a hold over Azar. What scott considers a hidden transcript.

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