Alliances and Political Blocs

The striking feature of the political organization of Swat is the emphasis on free choice and contract which is fundamental to the organization on lower levels, and also characterizes the wider political alignments. A group consisting of a leader and his following is politically corporate in the sense that it acts as a unit for political purposes. This chapter describes the political organization that develops from the activity of these groups within the formal framework defined by the system of territorial and descent units and their associated hierarchy of public assemblies. It also describes how the blocs are formed, their political functions, and the way in which certain structural features of the territorial and descent frameworks are reflected in their composition. Alliance groups can meet in opposition on a considerable scale, in the public assemblies that govern regions of 30,000 inhabitants, and in battles involving thousands of soldiers.

Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · European history and politics · Italian Fascism and Post-war Society · Law