The article discusses the validity of consociational theory, an influential trend in political science research in the 1970's. The theory, as formulated by Arend Lijphart, both seeks to explain the conditions for political stability in fragmented societies, and to present a model for democratic government in such societies. The first part of the article gives an interpretation of the theory. The second part presents the main critics of the consociational paradigm. The article concludes that the theoretical arguments against consociationalism carry considerable weight, but the normative challenge of consociational theory remains when confronted with the quest for conflict management in deeply divided societies.