This volume examines the functioning of societies through a systematic study of conflicts. It reviews a wide range of perspectives on conflict, including the historical implications for India's social, cultural, political, and labour-related problems. Thematically organized, the readings are divided into five sections. The first discusses, among other issues, the partition of the household; and restitution of conjugal rights and marital adjustments. The second section focuses on caste conflicts and the state; communal riots; and ethnic violence and industrial unrest. The third section illustrates the interaction between local and regional politics; protest movements; rebellion; and party factions. Section four deals with tensions in the work place, and the last section explores the different modes of resolving conflicts taking into account both the panchayats and the modern court systems. This second edition contains a new Postscript which draws attention of the readers to the trends in the study of conflict since the publication of the first edition, and a new Preface.

It will interest students and scholars of sociology, anthropology, politics, and history.