In the East, a tussle for social ranking (6)
I believe the answer is:
status
'social ranking' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'in the east a tussle' is the wordplay.
'in' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'STATUS' can be found hidden inside 'east a tussle'.
'for' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for status that I've seen before include "One's standing in the community" , "Place in society" , "Position eg in society" , "Class" , "Rank or standing in society" .)