Politics in Place: Social Power Relations in an Australian Country Town

by Ian Gray

Overview

Politics in Place focuses on political life in a typical Australian agricultural town. It examines the maintenance of a local political power structures through an analysis of the town's social processes and asociated ideologies. Dr Gray argues that local government does affect people's lives and discusses why it is that some people can use their local political system to their advantage while others remain unempowered. Unlike many earlier studies, Politics in Place does not rely on the identification of an elite group, nor does it merely describe static features of social stratification. Rather, it examines the historically based processes that have created the constraints which limit prospects for local people. The book will be of interest to anyone wishing to gain an insight into the workings of politics at local level.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521066532
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	06/19/2008
Pages:	228
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

Table of Contents

List of figures, maps; 1. Introduction: the origins of a study; 2. Power: concepts and applications; 3. A history of Cowra; 4. Elitism and local government; 5. Spatial politics; 6. The politics of development; 7. Gender, race and human services; 8. The making of local politics; 9. Ideologies and resources; 10. Conclusion: the machinery of power; Epilogue; Acknowledgements; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.

Editorial Reviews

Review of the hardback: '… its careful combination of theoretical and empirical material would make it a useful text for any students and researchers of politics and community in Western societies.' Journal of Rural Studies

From the Publisher