Knocking The Top Off - by Alex Ettling & Iain McIntyre (Paperback)

About the Book

An intoxicating journey through Australia's relationship with alcohol, this collection provides an alternative history of Australian society and culture.

Book Synopsis

Knocking The Top Off: A People's History of Alcohol in Australia explores the changing nature of drinking in Australia and the role it has played in social and economic life over several generations. From the early days of colonisation through to the contemporary moment this heavily illustrated collection chronicles the ways in which alcohol consumption has impacted on, and been shaped by, changing patterns and notions of class, sexuality, gender, race, and culture. Stripping back dated stereotypes and defying received ideas, more than 20 contributors provide histories, essays and memoirs offering insights into the role of alcohol in creating, and at times derailing, contestation and change.

Via short expositions and deep dives into incidents, periods, groups and individuals Knocking The Top Off looks at developments in Australian history from the vantage point of workers and marginalised communities, the exploited and oppressed. Alcohol's often contradictory place as a method of recreation, a means of social control, a symbol of equality and liberation, and a sharp point of debate concerning morality, commerce and health is explored. Similarly, the role of pubs, clubs and other alcohol based venues in fostering trends in music, art, and politics is uncovered, as well as their role as places in which exploitation and discrimination has been both reinforced and challenged. In exploring the who, what, where and why of intoxication this collection delivers an inclusive and incisive alternative history of Australia.

Review Quotes

Knocking The Top Off demonstrates that the social history of alcohol is not just froth and bubble but rather a compelling and insightful way to look through the glass of Australian history, often darkly. Drink deeply of this book. It will satisfy intellectual and literary thirsts alike.

Clare Wright, author of The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka and Beyond the Ladies Lounge: Australia's Female Publicans

An absorbing read through the alcohol-soaked story of modern Australia from colonialism to the present day.

Verity Burgmann, author of Green Bans, Red Union: The Saving of a City and Globalization and Labour in the Twenty-First Century.

A fascinating contribution to Australian social and political history, this book is a reminder of the radical current in Australian life. It is also richly-illustrated, full of unexpected discoveries, and a rollicking read.

Sean Scalmer, author of The Little History of Australian Unionism and Democratic Adventurer: Graham Berry and the Making of Australian Politics.