ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book provides a geographical-sociological perspective from which to make sense of the failure of the nationalization thesis and respond to the intellectual crisis facing political sociology. It then presents dual origins: as a response to the failure of political sociology to deal satisfactorily with contemporary events, such as the development of Scottish nationalism; and as a response to the problems posed to political sociology by the challenge of 'contextual' social theory. The book also focuses on some major conceptual questions posed by a reading of contemporary political sociology and the answers provided by an alternative perspective. It then discusses the empirical themes in the context of first Scottish and then American politics. The book states that an ecological correlation is not equal to a corresponding 'individual' correlation and that in explaining individual behavior individual correlations are preferable.
