| Summary: | <p> At any given time, the political culture exhibits various polarized tensions— the progressive versus the conservative sentiment; the social versus the individual perspective; the religious versus the secular point-of-view. Few people— whether scholars or ordinary citizens— doubt that each aspect is potentially influential as a factor on the politico-cultural landscape. Yet, while descriptions of each are many and relatively consistent, formal modular integrations and expressions are relatively few— and may not always be value-neutral. Recognizing that the ubiquitous left-right spectrum may need additional dimension, this thesis presents a model that reflects the familiar aspects of left and right, but adds two more spectra of ideological preference. The net result is a three-dimensional form and metaphor that is easily apprehended, and can aid in providing a quick political classification. Schematically rendered, this metaphor takes the form of a cube. Utilizing survey responses from urban and rural Alberta, Canada, this thesis hopes to provide the reader with a meaningful system of political categorization that may more thoroughly encompass, without partisan pejorative overtones, tendencies as disparate as religious communalism and libertarian secularism.</p>
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