Wednesday, 22 December 2010

'Social Sciences : The Big Issues' by Kath Woodward - Chapter 1

Introduction..... Having had a lot of time to kill at airports recently, a serious amount of time in fact, I decided to make a start with this book.

Chapter 1 is a good and interesting introduction to the themes and content of the book, and crystallises around the case study of 'life in a tower block'. It was so interesting that I read the entire chapter at one sitting and was very pleased that it was not as dry or impenetrable as I feared it would be.

The case study looked at how the make up and lives of those living in the block had changed due to various outside influences such as the 'right to buy', immigration and owners becoming landlords. It explores how the previously stable community, while the block was entirely social housing, has now become much more fluid. Property ownership changes the reasons why people would want live there or move out, and how the 'right to buy' has been a huge advantage for some, a disaster for others and a disappointment for those who were unable, for various reasons, to take advantage of this scheme.

Not exactly rocket science, but it certainly brought up ideas and issues that I have never had reason to contemplate before 

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