This major new textbook will equip students with a complete understanding of contemporary politics, state and society in the United Kingdom today.



Key underlying themes include:


- the differences between traditional and alternative `sites of power′ and what we mean by `political′


- the relationships between politics, society and how individuals become and remain engaged with politics


- the rapid transformations in contemporary social structures and their impact on social and political life


- the role of human agency and its significance to social and political action and movements


- contemporary cultural and social dislocations and their impact on some of the major contested areas of political life today.





Key features include:


- key concepts and issues


- key theorists and writers


- discussion questions





Comprehensive and accessible, An Introduction to Politics, State & Society is an essential text for all undergraduate students of politics, the contemporary state, power and political sociology.





James W McAuley is Professor of Political Sociology and Irish Studies in the School of Human and Health Sciences at the University of Huddersfield