Book Review: MORAG MCDERMONT, Governing Independence and Expertise: The Business of Housing Associations. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2010, 202 pp., ISBN 97818411309890, £30.00 (pbk)
| Author | John Flint |
| Date | 01 June 2011 |
| DOI | 10.1177/09646639110200020702 |
| Published date | 01 June 2011 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Social & Legal Studies 20(2)
the book’s signposting is slightly awry, the substantive discussions of the ontologies of
sovereignty are considered and illuminating, if at times, heavy-going.
In sum, in Sovereignty, Knowledge, Law, Minkkinen has produced an impeccably
researched volume which would be recommended for those with a very particular interest
in the philosophical dimensions of sovereignty, power and authority. It provides a very good
overview of wide-ranging works, including some more obscure writings on the subject, and
contains some fascinating insights into the broader questions regarding its subject matter.
However it is not the easiest read and the casual reader with only a passing interest in these
questions will find the book somewhat esoteric and would be better directed elsewhere.
References
Foucault M (1978) The History of Sexuality, trans. R Hurley. New York: Vintage Books.
Hegel GWF (1991) Elements of a Philosophy of Right, trans. H Nisbet, ed. A Wood. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Kant E (1996) The Metaphysics of Morals, ed. M Gregor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kelsen H (1945) General Theory of Law and State. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Schmitt C (2005) Political Theology, trans. G Schwab. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Cormac Mac Amhlaigh
University of Edinburgh, UK
MORAG MCDERMONT, Governing Independence and Expertise: The Business of Housing
Associations. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2010, 202 pp., ISBN 97818411309890, £30.00 (pbk).
Morag McDermont’s beautifully written and insightful history of housing associations in
England represents one of the most important contributions to housing studies in recent
years. Her study is centred on a history of the National Housing Federation, born as the
National Federation of Housing Societies in 1935, and utilizes interviews with key play-
ers and myriad archive documentary material, in addition to a chapter on the formation
of Shelter. McDermont’s historical...
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