Publication details
Troszczyć się o to swoje "Pięknie"
| Title in English | Taking "Beautiful" Care of What´s Ours |
|---|---|
| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2007 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | This paper follows the negotiations of residents of the village of Stonava with neighbouring mines regarding the limits of coal mining within village limits. The author illustrates the influence of social networks on the character of the political practice of the local council and how such networks allow or foreclose the possibility of negotiating limits on mining. Stonava is divided between established residents and newcomers. The political praxis of local representatives - who are not only members of various political parties but also members of various local associations - to a large extent influences the possibility of participation in civic life by the newcomers. Through the lens of Stonavas political life, the limits of Mark Granovetters concept of the strength of weak ties become clear: the weak relations personified by the newcomers can be strong enough to mediate innovative information but not strong enough to impel action on the part of local representatives. Thus political participation by village residents is not merely limited by the monopoly status of the mining industry in providing employment, but also by local political culture and the associational forms that support it. |