Synopses & Reviews
In a valuable addition to the debate on the nature of contemporary working-class culture, Thomas Dunk examines the ordinary weekend pursuits of working-class males in his home town of Thunder Bay, Ontario. He shows that the function and meaning of gender, ethnicity, popular leisure activities, and common-sense knowledge are intimately linked with the way an individual's experience is structured by class. After reviewing the principal theoretical problems relating to the study of working-class culture and consciousness, Dunk provides a detailed ethnographic analysis of "the Boys" - the male working-class subjects of this study. Male working-class culture, he argues, contains both the seeds of a radical response to social inequality and a defensive reaction against alternative social practices and ideas.
Review
"This well-written, revealing, and cogently argued community study adds to the knowledge of social inequality based on class, race, and gender." D.A. Chekki, Choice. "Dunk builds a strong interplay between the mundane and common-sense social practices with structural issues such as sexism, racism, cultural hegemony, and resistance .... A strong case is made illustrating how important leisure practices are for understanding the interplay between culture and consciousness." Bill O'Grady, Critical Sociology.
Synopsis
After reviewing the principal theoretical problems relating to the study of working-class culture and consciousness, Dunk provides a detailed ethnographic analysis of "the Boys" - the male working-class subjects of this study. Male working-class culture, he argues, contains both the seeds of a radical response to social inequality and a defensive reaction against alternative social practices and ideas. In a new forward, Dunk contextualizes the original text with regard to the debates about class and masculinity that have occurred since the book was first published.
Description
Includes bibliographical references: p. [173]-183.