Pamela G. Price
Published: 2010
Total Pages: 286
Get eBook
About the Book : - Individual leaders play an important role in the politics of South Asia, the institutional set-up of the subcontinent providing them much room to manoeuvre. The carefully crafted personalities of these politicians are a focal point of their parties, of political movements as well as the media. Yet, curiously enough, scholars have paid little attention to how leadership is practised in South Asia. This volume addresses this gap by studying the different styles of political leadership in the region.Examining different settings rural and urban areas, political parties and state governments the articles are studies of various politicians making their careers and/or actively thinking about leadership. Written on the basis of participant observation, formal and informal interviews, media reports, and archival research, these articles explore the many facets of political leaders the boss, lord and captain. From symbolic actions and rhetorical usage, to moral conviction, alliance-building and modes of distribution, each article illustrates the opportunities and constraints experienced by the politically ambitious. In so doing, the book provides valuable insight into the nature of democracy and electoral politics in the subcontinent, providing clues for understanding and explaining the relative stability of the body politic of one of the most socially complex and economically differentiated regions of the world.