Synopsis In this short introduction, suitable for students at any level, Chandra Chakrabarty explains the extra-ordinary scope and importance of social polity. He explores its foundation and contemporary significance; the principal issues it addresses and their diverse economic, political and sociological dimensions, and concludes by looking at the fundamental challenges facing social organization in changing India. Along with Romesh Chandra Dutta’s The Civilisation in Ancient India, This book remains a definitive work on the subject.