In the Sticks

Cultural Identity in a Rural Police Force

By: Malcolm Young

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Hardcover | 4 November 1993

At a Glance

Hardcover
324 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 2.24

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$152.85

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After twenty-five years police service on urban Tyneside, the authorDSa social anthropologistDStransferred, on promotion as Superintendent, to West Mercia Constabulary. The arrival of this 'import' coincided with monetarist demands for efficiency and effectiveness, a political thrust which came hard up against rural ideas of hierarchy, paternalism, and a cultural belief that denied validity to outsiders - such as those in the adjacent West Midlands Police. Detailing the way West Mercia operated and justified some bizarre practices, the ethnography shows how cultural identity was defined and deployed on a daily basis and explores the diverse and rich cultural baggage the rural world sustained even in the face of intense calls for the management of change. Reflecting on the lack of financial control he found, the author links all this to the racism he observedDSto a xenophobic means of maintaining social boundaries, defending edgy environments and preserving a semi-closed culture from the intrusions of outsiders.

Industry Reviews

'This book, by a policeman turned anthropologist, applies the insights of one discipline to the beliefs and dogmas of another. The results are both hilarious and depressing.' Barbara Weinberger, Policy History Society Newsletter 25 `an extremely readable, even entertaining, book that should be read by anyone with an interest in the police' LCCJ Newsletter `In the Sticks will give readers interested in the culture of policing a good comparative account of the cultural systems in England and will lead the reader to conclude that it is not that different in the United States.' MAN `Excellent book ... It is a well written, and a well organized work, showing that rare, if not unique combination, of the skills of a trained police detective turned anthropologist and ethnographer ... It should be compulsory reading for all police officers. This account of a police world by a doctor of anthropology who was also a superintendent of police has much to offer the student, the practitioner, and the general reader, but above all to the leaders of the police service, and their political accomplices.' British Journal of Criminology

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