Though characterized by great human diversity and subject to economic constraints–typically disintegrative forces–Indian society has managed to function in a democratic manner through institutionalization of conflict among the myriad of competing ethnic, religious, and political factions. The author of this book maintains that the relative unity of Indian society can be explained by its unique pattern of integration, which allows conflicting forces to cooperate through mediatory institutions. Such institutions, he argues, link differing codes of behavior and equalize opposing groups, creating structures that serve as bridging mechanisms within the society. Dr. Kahane goes beyond the example of India, pointing to general theoretical considerations important for the analysis of political legitimation and integration in diverse societies. He suggests a model of society in which conflicts are accentuated for integrative purposes, illustrates the structure of the mechanisms by which antagonistic elements of society are connected, and stresses that analysis of the patterns in which social units (political, cultural, and religious) are linked is often the most efficient means of explaining the nature of a given social order.
