Sceptical, disorderly and paradoxical subjects : problematizing the ‘will to empower’ in social housing governance
Abstract
Drawing on focus group research with social housing tenants this paper illustrates that despite the existence of a political “will to empower” within housing stock transfer policy in Scotland, the effects of governmental strategies are only ever partial and uneven, and may be subject to challenge and contestation from below. Through a focus on “lay” perspectives and the contested nature of contemporary governing practices, the paper argues for more attention to the messy realities of governing within specific local contexts, especially the way in which governable subjects can think and act otherwise, and forge their own alternative govern-mentalities.
Citation
McKee , K 2011 , ' Sceptical, disorderly and paradoxical subjects : problematizing the ‘will to empower’ in social housing governance ' , Housing, Theory and Society , vol. 28 , no. 1 , pp. 1-18 . https://doi.org/10.1080/14036091003788120
Publication
Housing, Theory and Society
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1403-6096Type
Journal article
Rights
(c)2010 Taylor and Francis. This is an electronic version of an article published in Housing, Theory and Society. The definitive version is available at http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=journal&issn=1403-6096
Description
Research for this work was funded by the British Academy (SG-50318)Collections
Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
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