This major new textbook will equip students with a complete understanding of contemporary politics, state and society in the United Kingdom today. Key underlying themes include:- the differences between traditional and alternative `sites of power and what we mean by `political- the relationships between politics, society and how individuals become and remain engaged with politics- the rapid transformations in contemporary social structures and their impact on social and political life- the role of human agency and its significance to social and political action and movements- contemporary cultural and social dislocations and their impact on some of the major contested areas of political life today.Key features include:- key concepts and issues- key theorists and writers- discussion questionsComprehensive and accessible, An Introduction to Politics, State & Society is an essential text for all undergraduate students of politics, the contemporary state, power and political sociology.James W McAuley is Professor of Political Sociology and Irish Studies in the School of Human and Health Sciences at the University of Huddersfield