Paper short abstract:

This paper analyses the impact that political parties have had on the lives of the residents of one village in Pakistani Punjab over half a century. In particular it considers the impact that they have had on the changing relations between different economic and social groups within the village.

Paper long abstract:

Most studies of political parties consider their role within national politics and their representation of large groups of citizens (ethnic groups, classes). Few studies have analysed the impact that political parties can have on the everyday lives of rural citizens far removed from the usual sites of contestation over power at the centre. In this paper I provide one such view of how political parties have changed relations between different economic and social groups in a remote village of Pakistani Punjab. By conducting a longitudinal study of the lives and politics of the residents of this village over more than half a century, I am able to provide a rare perspective on the profound impact that political parties can have on the lives, relations and everyday struggles of rural citizens.

I provide a brief overview of national politics and the evolution of political parties in Pakistan since its birth in 1947, and then analyse what was happening within one village of its most populous and politically most important province, Punjab, while these changes were playing out on the national stage. This paper is the tale of the transition of a village from "feudalism" to clientelism. Its journey from colonial times to 2008 provides an interesting perspective on the transformation of local relationships and politics as a direct consequence of national-level politics and the evolution of political parties.