The Culture of Power and Governance in Pakistan

by Niaz, Ilhan

• ISBN13: 9780195477313
• ISBN10: 0195477316
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-06-28
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

The Culture of Power and Governance of Pakistan attempts to explain Pakistan's crisis of governance in historical and philosophical terms. It argues that South Asia's indigenous orientation towards the exercise of power has reasserted itself and produced a regression in the behavior of theruling elite. This has meant that in the sixty years of independence from British rule the behavior of the state apparatus and political class has become more arbitrary, proprietorial and delusional. The resulting deterioration in the intellectual and moral quality of the state apparatus is a mortalthreat to Pakistan. Regrettably, much of the academic and public discussion about developing societies has been vitiated by the heedless repetition of fashionable jargon that emphasizes national security, democracy and development. The Culture of Power and Governance of Pakistan draws upon theprimary declassified record of Pakistan and a diverse array of theoretical inputs to try and balance the debate on the crisis of governance.

Author Biography

Ilhan Niaz is an Assistant Professor of History at the Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan. His research specialization is the history of governance in South Asia and his teaching interests include historiography, world history, and Pakistan history. He is the author of An Inquiry into the Culture of Power of the Subcontinent (Alhamra, 2006), and has been published regularly in academic journals and newspapers. The Culture of Power and Governance of Pakistan is his second book and is based on his PhD dissertation on the same subject.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgements	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Imperishable Empires	p. 20
Original Sins	p. 62
Mandarins	p. 89
Praetorians	p. 138
Guardians	p. 168
Diwans	p. 210
Grand Seigneurs	p. 239
Conclusion	p. 275
Bibliography and Sources	p. 291
Index	p. 313
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