ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with consideration of some of the terms which seem essential in a general theory of politics, and with the place of politics in the structure of society. It considers, first, contrasts in the direction of political cleavage; second, the relation between landholding and political cleavage; and finally, the relation between caste and cleavage. David Easton, a political scientist who has given thoughtful attention to the work of social anthropologists on politics, objects to the conceptual approach to politics through power and the conflict over power. A convenient, brief definition of political activity is "organized conflict over public power". Horizontal political cleavages in South Asian villages are found most frequently between caste groups and between ruling autocrats and their subjects. The principal political cleavage runs between the zamindar and the taxpayers, and is thus strictly horizontal.
