Political Kinship in Pakistan

Stephen M. Lyon is professor of anthropology and head of educational programs and development at Aga Khan University.

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are famous for their political dynasties, the Nehrus in India and the Bhuttos in Pakistan being the most renowned. Their histories indicate the fundamental importance of kinship ties in South Asian societies (and elsewhere), a subject to which the renowned anthropologists E. E. Evans-Pritchard and Francis Hsu have made major contributions. Lyon (Aga Khan Univ., Pakistan) is an anthropologist who has spent over two decades visiting and living in Attock, northern Pakistan, studying local society. This fine volume follows his previous book, An Anthropological Analysis of Local Politics and Patronage in a Pakistani Village (2004), and a number of journal articles and book chapters on the subject. From a consideration of the importance of kinship to detailed descriptions of kinship ties among various families, Lyon forcefully argues that the ties that bind and serve as the basis of Pakistani politics are those based on kinship. In arguing this he offers an analysis of the rise of Prime Minister Imran Khan, claiming his victory was only made possible through the links to the large and powerful kinship networks of his second and third wives. This is essential reading. Summing Up: Essential. All levels.

• Chapter 1 Kinship and PoliticsChapter 2 Strong Man Politics, Pakistan and MethodsChapter 3 Waves of ElitesChapter 4 Descent, Marriage and Building NetworksChapter 5 Kinship and Conflict Management at the local levelChapter 6 Landed EliteChapter 7 Industrialist and Populist Challengers