Elite Pluralism and Class Rule : : Political development in Maharashtra, India / / Jayant Lele.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter University of Toronto Press eBook-Package Archive 1933-1999
• VerfasserIn: Lele, Jayant,
• Place / Publishing House: Toronto : : University of Toronto Press, , [2020]; ©1981
• Year of Publication: 2020
• Language: English
• Series: Heritage
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (263 p.)

Based on a study of recent political behaviour in a rural region of India, the author presents a critique of pluralist theories of democracy and advances a new approach to political sociology. Professor Lele insists that the politicians of Maharashtra sustain, however dispersed, a hegemonic class rule. The processes of development and modernization directly serve strategies of private gain through the public sphere; the elites continue to enclose the public sphere while propagating the myth of open competition. Case studies of local, state, and national politicans illustrate this behaviour and show how competition between powerful alliances is effectively moderated. The concluding section proposes a new comparative approach to political sociology. It demonstrates the inherent contradiction between domination and community, and argues for a historical analysis of the rise and fall of classes and ideologies. Professor Lele challenges the emphasis on modernization and instrumentality in contemporary social science, and suggests that the insights of Marx and Weber can lead to a more previse and universal framework for the study of societies.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Tables -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Kinship, Village, and the Maratha Hegemony -- 3 Social Structure and Politicization -- 4 Political Arenas and the Elite -- 5 Democracy and Elite Interests: A Case Study -- 6 Conclusion -- Appendix: A Study of the Rural Political Process in Maharashtra 1967-8 -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Name Index -- General Index