Contested Terrain: Power, Politics, and Participation in Suburbia

Politics, by its nature, is a contentious arena. Suburbia, on the other hand, has long presented the image of a relatively serene, harmonious, and homogenous social context. Until recently little attention has been paid to whatever might be the distinctive qualities of the suburban political scene. Yet, as this collection of essays makes apparent, suburbia is as volatile a political environment as any other. The suburban political sphere is truly a contested terrain, and this volume effectively shows the links between suburban political realities and our collective economic and social well-being.

The suburban political sphere is truly a contested terrain. As the authors make clear, the political conflicts that have haunted the United States from its inception―class inequalities, racial frictions, constraints on the democratic impulse―loom large in the suburbia of today. The haven from social turmoil and strife that suburbia represented at mid-century increasingly appears to have been short-lived and, perhaps, even illusory. Political scientists, sociologists, and other researchers as well as concerned citizens are challenged to examine seriously the suburban political landscape. In this volume all will come away with a better understanding of the distinctive practical facets of the suburban political context, and all will have a better appreciation of the connections to our collective economic and social well-being.

MARC L. SILVER is Associate Professor of Sociology, Hofstra University.

MARTIN MELKONIAN is Adjunct Associate Professor of Economics, Hofstra University.