Silver, Daniel Aaron & Terry Nichols Clark. 2016. Scenescapes: How Qualities of Place Shape Social Life. The University of Chicago Press.

According to co-author Dan Silver, Chapter 6 is of particular interest to section members: “There we trace a widening gap in the types of local amenities associated with Democratic and Republican voters. We also show how local scenes are key factors in explaining social movement organization activity and in generating resources that fuel local political contestation. Chapter 5 may also be of interest, as it includes a discussion of residential divisions into cultural enclaves, as well as an analysis of activities that may bridge such differences, such as martial arts.”

More about the book: In Scenescapes, Daniel Aaron Silver and Terry Nichols Clark examine the patterns and consequences of the amenities that define our streets and strips. They articulate the core dimensions of the theatricality, authenticity, and legitimacy of local scenes—cafes, churches, restaurants, parks, galleries, bowling alleys, and more. Scenescapes not only reimagines cities in cultural terms, it details how scenes shape economic development, residential patterns, and political attitudes and actions. In vivid detail and with wide-angle analyses—encompassing an analysis of 40,000 ZIP codes—Silver and Clark give readers tools for thinking about place; tools that can teach us where to live, work, or relax, and how to organize our communities.