Education, Work and Social Change in Britain’s Former Coalfield Communities

This edited book presents a range of chapters written by new and established authors, drawing on a range of different perspectives and traditions to critically analyse education, work and social change in the former coalfields. Historically, coal was one of Britain's major industries, employing over a million men at its peak. But mining was more than an occupation - it was a way of life for those living and working in coalfield communities. Work, leisure, family relations and other dimensions of social life were centred upon the coal industry and its related institutions such as trade unions, working-men's clubs and welfare institutes. These communities have, however, undergone significant social and economic change over time, not least in terms of the pain and suffering associated with the Great Strike of 1984-85, the successive waves of pit closures which took place thereafter and the eventual demise of the coal industry. The book will be of interest to academics drawing on sociology, social policy, history, geography and other subject disciplines.

This edited book presents a range of chapters written by new and established authors, drawing on a range of different perspectives and traditions to critically analyse education, work and social change in the former coalfields. Historically, coal was one of Britain’s major industries, employing over a million men at its peak. But mining was more than an occupation - it was a way of life for those living and working in coalfield communities. Work, leisure, family relations and other dimensions of social life were centred upon the coal industry and its related institutions such as trade unions, working-men’s clubs and welfare institutes. These communities have, however, undergone significant social and economic change over time, not least in terms of the pain and suffering associated with the Great Strike of 1984–85, the successive waves of pit closures which took place thereafter and the eventual demise of the coal industry. The book will be of interest to academics drawing on sociology, social policy, history, geography and other subject disciplines.

Introduction In the Shadow of Coal; Robin Simmons and Katherine Simpson.- Chapter 1 Contextualising the Coalfields: Mapping the Socio-Economic and Cultural Loss of the Coal Industry; Tim Strangleman.- Chapter 2 A Conflictual Legacy: Being a Coal Miner’s Daughter.- Chapter 3 Education, Ghosts and Deindustrialisation: Attuning to Legacies of Resistance and Collectivity in the Hidden Curriculum.- Chapter 4 Growing up in the interregnum: accounts from the South Yorkshire coalfield.- Chapter 5 Working Down the Pit: Historical and Cultural Perspectives on Coal Mining in Britain and the Implications for Contemporary Society and Politics.- Chapter 6 Are we expecting too much? Aspirations and Expectations of Girls Living in an Ex-Mining Community.-