Indian society continues to be an enduring enigma, evading explanations.

This book examines how it has evolved and proliferated through an amalgamation of institutions and practices which has divided and united people across communities through the centuries. It highlights the changing structural features of Indian society including shifts in the structures of social groups, institutions and processes, such as caste, tribe, sect, and rural-urban relations.

Based on a wealth of field research as well as archival material, the book

• Interrogates the prevailing structuralist thinking in Indian sociology;
• Studies Indian society from contemporary as well as historical perspectives;
• Critically examines how caste, class and tribe function in rural and urban landscapes;
• Focuses on the emerging debates and discourses on identity politics in India.

This second edition, with four new chapters, will be a key text for students and scholars of sociology and social anthropology, political science, modern history, development studies, and South Asian studies.