Fragmentation and Segmentation versus Integration? Reflections on the concepts of Indian feudalism and the segmentary state in Indian history (original) (raw)

At present there exist at least three different structural models for the early medieval Indian kingdoms of the post-Gupta and pre-Delhi Sultanate period (c. 550-1200 A.D.): (i) The "conventional model" of a rather unitary, centrally organized kingdom with a strong central bureaucracy; (ii) the Marxist-influenced "Indian feudalism model" of decentralized feudal states (which, however, presupposes the existence of an earlier rather strong central state which had been weakened through feudalization of the society); and (iii) the model of a "segmentary state" which allots the Hindu kingdom a position on a continuum of governance formation between the tribal "stateless" form of government and the unitary state.