ABSTRACT
This book has 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 content and organization of the book represent these dual origins. The early chapters focus on some major conceptual questions posed by a reading of contemporary political sociology and the answers provided by an alternative perspective. The later chapters take up certain empirical themes in the context of first Scottish and then American politics.
