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Politics in Place
I. W. Gray
其他書名
Social Power Relations in an Australian Country Town
出版Cambridge University Press, 1991
主題Political Science / GeneralPolitical Science / American Government / StatePolitical Science / Political Process / Political AdvocacyPolitical Science / World / Australian & OceanianSocial Science / Sociology / GeneralSports & Recreation / Outdoor Skills
ISBN05214042669780521404266
URLhttp://books.google.com.hk/books?id=-WDBl8EDjd0C&hl=&source=gbs_api
EBookSAMPLE
註釋Between 1985 and 1986, Ian Gray spent a year in a typical medium-sized agricultural town in western New South Wales, where he joined local community groups and attended council meetings. In recent years the town has undergone changes like many others: there has been a significant decline in the number of primary production establishments, the rural economy has deteriorated and local people have struggled to resist the decisions of many city-based organisations which have threatened local autonomy and self-sufficiency. The community study which emerged from this period is Politics in Place, a discussion of the maintenance of a local political power structure, undertaken through an analysis of the town's social processes and associated ideologies. Dr. Gray argues that local government does affect people's lives, and confronts the question of why some people can make local politics work better for them, while others remain unempowered. Unlike many earlier community studies, this one does not rely on 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. This study is particularly valuable given that few British and Australian locality studies have sought to focus on political relations. The insights of Dr. Gray's book firmly indicate that community studies are capable of transcending locality, making it relevant to a wide range of interested readers.