This collection of articles by two European scholars of political science cover manifold aspects of politics in the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh. There are studies of changes in the rural power structure under the impact of democratic processes and the introduction of Panchayati Raj, the local self-government. The authors examine the emergence of new elites and their backgrounds, their rise to power as well as their defeats. They analyse elections, styles of leadership and the conflicts arising from regional identities and uneven development. Although a case-study of Andhra Pradesh, there are ample similarities in the political systems of other Indian states. These articles originally appeared in various academic publications in Britain, India, USA and Germany and are here made available in an Indian publication to provide most fascinating background information on the drama of current Indian politics for scholars, politicians and democratic citizens.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dagmar Bernstorff
Dagmar Bernstorff taught Political Science South Asia at the Universities of Munich and Heidelberg in Germany. She obtained her doctorate from the University of Freiburg i.B. for a thesis on Indian Foreign Politics. Later she did research in Political Sociology and Indian Political Thought as well as in the International Relations of South Asia. She has published several books and numerous articles on international relations and political participation in India. Dagmar Bernstorff now lives in Delhi as a writer.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Hugh Gray
Hugh Gray studied Sociology and Cultural Anthropology at the London School of Economics and at the School of Oriental and African Studies, where after graduation he taught Political Sociology from 1962-1982. He had an experience of practical politics when he served as Labour Member in the House of Commons from 1966-1970. His publications cover a wide range of research on the politics of Andhra Pradesh. After retirement he became International Secretary of the Theosophical Society. Dr. Gray now lives in London.
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