ABSTRACT
This is an unconventional study from several points of view. Therefore my first task is to clarify the ways in which this approach to the subject differs from more traditional studies, and my second task is to convince the reader of the usefulness of this different frame of reference. The subtitle of this book, A Study in Political Anthropology, summarizes as succinctly as possible the special approach I elaborate in this introduction. The study of political parties has been the traditional domain of political scientists. They have provided us with a rich and diverse literature on the subject, which they have studied from a variety of points of view, ranging from historical analysis of the development of parties and party systems, structural studies of party institutions, to functional analysis of the various tasks performed by parties in the political system—to cite the main general approaches. Although a large variety of methodological techniques have been employed, few, if any, have used the systematic observation of the interaction of party politicians in a wide range of party institutions over a prolonged period of time as the major research methodology. Although various forms of structured and unstructured interviewing with open and closed questionnaires have been employed, and in isolated cases participant observation has been used on a limited scale as a secondary technique, I could not find a single case in the literature where sustained participant observation over a long period was the main research method (although such cases may exist).
