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Not Just Beer and Bingo! A Social History of Working Men's Clubs (Paperback)
Loot Price: R618
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Not Just Beer and Bingo! A Social History of Working Men's Clubs (Paperback)
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In 'Not Just Beer and Bingo A Social History of Working Men's
Clubs', Ruth Cherrington traces the history of working men's clubs
from their mid-19th origins to their current state of declining
popularity and numbers. This book is a unique and comprehensive
account of a social movement that has provided companionship,
education, recreation and a great deal of pleasure to working class
communities for over 150 years. All aspects of club life are
covered here in a highly readable, often funny, but sometimes
poignant manner. At all times, Ruth Cherrington maintains a
scholarly approach, drawing upon wide-ranging research and the
wealth of information collected from scores of club goers,
officials and entertainers from across the country. They tell their
own stories throughout this book, from nights out with the kids to
seaside outings, the concerts and Christmas parties, the place of
women, the popularity of games and gambling and the many charitable
roles and activities that clubs are involved in. Ruth Cherrington
illustrates throughout the book how clubs were much loved social
and community institutions that have always been about much more
than beer drinking and bingo playing. They were often central to
working class leisure time as well as at the heart of the
communities where they were located. She shows how clubs played
numerous social and cultural roles, making important contributions
to the lives of their members and their families. She does not shy
away from tacking the downsides of clubs life and the criticisms
that they have sometimes received for some of their policies and
practices. The role of the Club and Institute Union (CIU) is also
considered here. Established by a Temperance minister in 1862, it
helped to nurture the early clubs, fight some battles on their
behalf, eventually becoming a nationwide organization that
represented the 'Union' of working men's clubs. As clubs now face
many challenges and with around half the number that existed during
their heyday in the early 1970s, the key reasons for the decline
are laid out for the reader to consider. The discussion doesn't end
there with an account of the 'fight back' and what club people,
from members through to officials and the CIU, are doing to keep
their doors open and to adapt to the rapidly changing times we live
in. The work concludes by offering some thoughts about their future
prospects.
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