The essays by anthropologists, historians and political scientists show that patronage in the region of South Asia is not a feudal residue or retrograde political pressure but a political form vital in its own right. They argue that patronage cannot be seen as in cross-purposes with the growing democratic culture of the region but as its main driving force. They delve into patronage and state-making in early modern empires in India and Britain and patronage as a way for persons and communities to generate power and influence in South India. With case studies, they examine aspects of police and legal patronage in north India and vote banking as politics in Mumbai. They present perspectives on the way governance and its related issues are viewed, such as corruption in India viewed not as the misuse of public office for private gain but as the collapse of ‘good patronage’.
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