Suburban Affiliations: Social Relations in the Greater Dublin Area - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1906359474 ISBN 13: 9781906359478

Publisher: University College Dublin Press, 2010

Synopsis

"Suburban Affiliations" presents the reader with a thorough and engaging study of the everyday civic and social relations that are observed in suburban localities, in this case in Dublin, Ireland. It provides insight into the ways in which suburbs develop and consolidate across time, with the authors' analysis presented against a backdrop of the extensive American and European literature on suburbs. Drawing on four case studies, the authors offer a wealth of sociological insights into the suburban experience, demonstrating how particular examples can be drawn upon to advance a general theory of suburban affiliations. They re-visit the mainly negative assessment that has been made of the suburban social fabric. The title, "Suburban Affiliations", underlies the book's main conclusions. Residents in suburban estates are not disaffiliated: they are in fact connected with the place where they live and with each other, in many different ways. The book maps the nature, quality and focus of these affiliations, paying particular attention to attachment to place, the prevalence of social support networks and levels of civic and social participation. As an empirically grounded, contemporary study of everyday suburban realities this book offers a wealth of timely and innovative insights of interest not only to social scientists but also to architects, planners, policy makers and the general public.

About this title

About the Author:

Mary P. Corcoran is Professor of Sociology at the National University of Ireland Maynooth, where she is also a research associate at the National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis. Jane Gray is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the National University of Ireland Maynooth. She is a research associate at the National Institute of Regional and Spatial Analysis and Director of the Irish Qualitative Archive. Michel Peillon is Professor of Sociology at the National University of Ireland Maynooth.

Review:

'One consequence of the recent years of economic prosperity was the growth in suburban communities around Dublin. - The three authors here take an empirical sociological approach to the study of four Dublin suburbs. Their study is influenced by work in Europe and America and they place their findings in that context. - The findings are not all negative as they conclude that the residents identify with the suburb in which they live and that a variety of social groups occupy suburbs. Far from being dysfunctional and problematic, suburbs are communities with a sense of identity and high degree of social interaction.' Books Ireland Sept 2010

About this edition

• Publisher: University College Dublin Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1906359474
• ISBN 13: 9781906359478
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368
• Editor: Corcoran Mary P., Grey Jane, Pellion Michel