Monday Matters: David McCrone ‘Who Runs Edinburgh?’
15th May 2023
‘Who Runs Edinburgh?’:
Looks behind the Edinburgh façade of tourism and festivals Focuses on power and status in the city Examines the social, ethnic and gender dynamics of Edinburgh Examines how Edinburgh became Festival City Explores schools and cultural power Analyses planning controversies, including The Trams This book, written by a leading sociologist, tells Edinburgh’s modern story and unveils its power structure. It examines its politics, formal and informal; its changing political economy; and the rise of its status as Festival city. Behind all this lies a complex system of money and culture, of presumed social status tied into a hierarchy of schools and institutions, universities, banks and finance houses. The book explores arguments about what sort of city Edinburgh should be and what it should look like. It examines planning controversies, from post-war developments through various ‘holes in the ground’ up to and including The Trams controversy. Studying Edinburgh lets us draw lessons about cities in general, and their roles in the modern world.
David McCrone is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Edinburgh. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and a Fellow of the British Academy.
By Royal Scots Club
