Politics in Plural Societies or The Martyrs of Karbala

Politics in Plural Societies: A Theory of Democratic Instability

Author: Alvin Rabushka

Longman Classics in Political Science

In revising classic works in political science, Longman celebrates the contributions its authors and their research have made to the discipline. The Longman Classics in Political Science series honors these authors and their work. Providing students with an updated context, each title in the series includes a new foreword, written by one of today’s top scholars, offering a fresh, in-depth analysis of the book and its enduring contributions.

Politics in Plural Societies: A Theory of Democratic Instability

Alvin Rabushka
Kenneth A. Shepsle

This landmark study in the field of comparative politics is being celebrated for its return to print as the newest addition to the Longman Classics in Political Science series. Politics in Plural Societies presents a model of political competition in multiethnic societies and explains why plural societies, and the struggle for power within them, often erupt with interethnic hostility.

Distinguished scholars Alvin Rabushka and Kenneth A. Shepsle collaborate in this reissue of their classic work to demonstrate–in a new epilogue–the pertinence of the arguments and evidence offered when the book was originally published. They apply this thesis to the multiethnic politics of countries that are of great interest today: Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan, and more.

Features

• Develops and tests a formal model of political cooperation and conflict in multiethnic societies.
• Offers comparisons amongst 18 countries based on theoretically developed categories, rather than byregion of the world.
• Brings formal theory together with sound empirical analysis, directly comparing the predictions of theory with the evidence of real-world politics.
• Examines the problems of orderly government in multiethnic societies and the difficulties in implementing solutions.

Visit us at ablongman.com/polisci

Table of Contents:

Part I     1
The Plural Society     2
Bases of Cultural Pluralism     8
The Theory of Plural Society: J. S. Furnivall     10
The Theory of Plural Society: Conceptual Development     12
A Definition of Plural Society     20
Summary     21
Theoretical Tools     23
Politics and Preference Aggregation     24
Utility and the Risk Environment     32
Intensity     43
Salience     55
Summary     61
Distinctive Features of Politics in the Plural Society: A Paradigm     62
Ethnic Preferences     63
A Paradigm of Politics in the Plural Society     74
Plural Societies: Some Variations     88
Summary     91
Part II     93
The Competitive Configuration     94
Guyana     95
Belgium     105
Ethnic Politics in Trinidad and Malaya     120
Ethnic Competition: The Politics of Demand Generation and the Bankruptcy of Moderation     124
Ethnic Advantage: The Manipulation of Electoral Rules     127
The Paradigm and Surinam: A Prognosis     127
Majority Domination     129
Ceylon     129
Majority Dominance: Five Additional Cases     141
Nationalist Politics: The Absence of Interethnic Cooperation     143
The Ethnic Basis of Political Cohesion     147
Ambiguity, Moderation, and the Politics of Outbidding     150
Machinations: The Manipulation of Ethnic Politics     153
Violence: Communities in Conflict     156
The Dominant Minority     158
South Africa     158
Rhodesia     169
Burundi     173
Fragmentation     177
Properties of Fragmented Societies     177
Fragmentation: The Proliferation of Ethnic Groups     178
Political Parties: The Absence of Brokerage Institutions     187
Authoritarian Rule: The Fragility of Democracy     202
Conclusion     206
Conclusions     207
Switzerland: The Persistent Counterexample     208
(R[subscript x]) Prescriptions for the Plural Society: Some Applications of the Theory     213
A Final Question     217
Epilogue     219
Bibliography     243
Index     255

New interesting book: iMovie 08 iDVD 08 for Mac OS X Visual QuickStart Guide or Sams Teach Yourself Programming with Java in 24 Hours

The Martyrs of Karbala: Shi'i Symbols and Rituals in Modern Iran

Author: Kamran Scot Scot Aghai

This innovative study examines patterns of change in Shii symbols and rituals over the past two centuries to reveal how modernization has influenced the societal, political, and religious culture of Iran. Shi'is, who support the Prophet Mohammads progeny as his successors in opposition to the Sunni caliphate tradition, make up 10 to 15 percent of the worlds Muslim population, roughly half of whom live in Iran. Throughout the early history of the Islamic Middle East, the Sunnis have been associated with the state and the ruling elite, while Shi'is have most often represented the political opposition and have had broad appeal among the masses. Moharram symbols and rituals commemorate the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE, in which the Prophet Mohammads grandson Hoseyn and most of his family and supporters were massacred by the troops of the Umayyad caliph Yazid.

Moharram symbols and rituals are among the most pervasive and popular aspects of Iranian culture and society. This book traces patterns of continuity and change of Moharran symbols and rituals in three aspects of Iranian life: the importance of these rituals in promoting social bonds, status, identities, and ideals; ways in which the three major successive regimes (Qujars, Pahlavis, and the Islamic Republic), have either used these rituals to promote their legitimacy, or have suppressed them because they viewed them as a potential political threat; and the uses of Moharram symbolism by opposition groups interested in overthrowing the regime.

While the patterns of government patronage have been radically discontinuous over the past two centuries, the roles of these rituals in popular society and culture have been relatively continuous or have evolved independently of the state. The political uses of modern-day rituals and the enduring symbolism of the Karbala narratives continue today.

Kamran Scot Aghaie is assistant professor of Islamic and Iranian history at the University of Texas at Austin.