Before launching into the book I hope it is helpful to provide an indication of what you are going to find – and what you will not. First, although it is an academic study, in some ways it is not typical of such works, any more than I am a typical academic. It is primarily an exploration of ideas, theories, discourses and concepts (although occasional use is made of empirical data, particularly when setting the context in the introduction). Whether the end result amounts to anything as sophisticated as social theory is another matter.

Second, the book is perhaps unusual in that its focus is upwards and outwards, in an attempt to create a vision of the ‘bigger picture’, rather than on burrowing down into microscopic exploration of any one of its features. While it draws heavily on a wide variety of academic work, it makes no claims to coming anywhere close to a comprehensive literature review. Given the range of ground covered, such an exercise would run to numerous volumes. In my hunt for raw material with which to build an overarching framework, I have roamed across topics and disciplines. While I hope the resulting edifice stands up to general scrutiny, some parts of it are more robust than others. For example, I know that there is a lot more that could be said (and has already been said by others) about socio-economic class, network theory, identity and the literature on participative democracy. The sociology greats, in fact sociology in general, do not get the attention they deserve.

I may have discovered rather too late in the day why microscopic burrowing is generally preferred! Not only has the enormity of the task sometimes felt overwhelming, it is fraught with dangers. I may have spent most of my working life exploring the fields of poverty, inequality and social exclusion, but I cannot – and certainly do not – claim to be expert in everything to do with them. The bigger the picture, the more likely it is that limitations will be exposed. I am acutely aware that I am boldly going, not just where others have gone before, but into well-trodden terrain on which eminent academics have built life-long careers, founded on in-depth study of any one of the many areas touched upon within these pages.