Politics in Place Social Power Relations in an Australian Country Town [Hardcover]

Politics in Place is a community study focusing on political life in a typical Australian agricultural town.Politics in Place is a community study focusing on political life in a typical Australian agricultural town. It examines the maintenance of a local political power structures by analysing the town's social processes and associated ideologies.Politics in Place is a community study focusing on political life in a typical Australian agricultural town. It examines the maintenance of a local political power structures by analysing the town's social processes and associated ideologies.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.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.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 colÓ0