The form of social relations described by the terms 'patronage' and
'patron-client relations' is of central concern to sociologists,
anthropologists and political scientists today. Characterised by its
voluntary and highly personal but often fully institutionalised nature,
it is a type of behaviour found in almost every human society. It
touches upon basic aspects of the construction and regulation of social
order and is therefore closely connected to major theoretical problems
and controversies in the social sciences. This book analyses some
special types of these interpersonal relations - ritual kinship,
patron-client relations and friendship - and the social conditions in
which they develop. The authors draw upon a wide range of examples, from
societies as diverse as these of the Mediterranean, Latin America, the
Middle and Far East and the U.S.S.R., in their study of the core
characteristics of such relationships. They look at them as mechanisms
of social exchange, examine their impact on the institutional structures
in which they exist, and assess the significance of the variations in
their occurrence. Their analysis highlights the importance of these
relationships in social life and concludes with a stimulating discussion
of the ensuring tensions and ambivalences and the ways in which these
are dealt with - though perhaps never fully overcome. Patrons, clients
and friends is the first systematic comparative study of these
interpersonal relations and makes the first attempt to relate them to
central aspects of social structure. It will therefore be an important
contribution to both comparative analysis and social theory and will be
of interest to a wide range of social scientists.
