ABSTRACT
In the field of racially plural societies, with which the chapter particularly concerns the main theories relevant to political change are Marxist theories of class conflict, adaptations of Durkheim's theory of evolutionary change from mechanical to organic solidarity, and theories of the plural society or of pluralism. Marxist theory, in emphasizing the class struggle as the major determinant of political change, conceives of racial discrimination and exploitation as an aspect of class relations. The Durkheimian models stress the cross-cutting relationship between members of the segmented sections as the basis for new forms of solidarity, transcending the old divisions. Theories of the plural society or of pluralism stress the cleavages, or discontinuities, between sections differentiated by race, ethnicity, religion or culture. At the ideological level, both Marxist and Durkheimian perspectives emphasize interracial solidarity. Racial and ethnic division in plural societies is a very different social phenomenon from segmental division in the homogeneous societies of Durkheim's theory.
