Limits to Power

This paper explores the general tendencies associated with the rise and decline of Naxalism in rural Bihar. It does not examine Naxalite organisations or activities, but reports on a case study of a single village in a very troubled region of south Bihar where contesting sections of the village community have tried to use Naxalism for their own ends. The emphasis is not on the political issues associated with Naxalism, but on delineating the concrete ways in which it becomes operative in village politics.