Moving Histories of Class and Community - (Identity Studies in the Social Sciences) by B Rogaly & B Taylor (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A major new study of white working class Britain since 1930, that shows how meanings of poverty have changed over time and how individuals reject categorization by the state. This book challenges accepted wisdom on the white working class, providing new understandings of community, place and class, arguing for the importance of migration.

Review Quotes

'I will certainly be adding the book to reading lists' - Sue Child, Times Higher Education

'endlessly interesting...and important work' - Lynsey Hanley, author of Estates: An Intimate History

'This book challenges contemporary stereotypes about the identity of the white working class in England . . . Rogaly and Taylor question the customary opposition between immigrants and rooted local populations, demonstrating the mobility of 'local people' and the constantly changing identity of 'the community' over time . . . This is a fascinating and important study.' - Robert J. C. Young, Julius Silver Professor of English and Comparative Literature, New York University, USA

'If you want to know how class 'feels' this book offers a nuanced understanding Written with clarity by a geographer and an historian it charts lives stretched out over time and space . . . This is a unique and important contribution to the recently revitalised area of class analysis.' - Professor Beverley Skeggs, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK

'Drawing upon personal testimony, archival evidence and participant observation, this intimate account of a working class housing estate approach[es] the emotionality and significance of the residents' own 'moving' stories with great insight and sensitivity.' - Professor Alistair Thomson, Monash University, Australia

'Rogaly and Taylor make clear in this book not only how, but especially where, class is lived. MovingHistories is a vital addition to the burgeoning New Working Class Studies movement.' - Don Mitchell, Distinguished Professor of Geography, Syracuse University, USA

'... the detailed qualitative data provide a rich account of resident experiences and offer an important contribution in questioning cultual stereotypes. In particular, the book has considerable value in giving voice to communities that are paid lip service, but largely neglected in academic discussion and practical policy. The positioning of debates about identity within the realm of class-based analysis is clearly worthwhile and overall the authord manage to provide a thought-provoking, well-written and at times 'moving' analysis of living in contemporary social housing.' - Tony Manzi, University of Westminster, UK

'Without compromising on the complexity of their material, or exhausting the interpretive options, the authors have succeeded in placing a form of order on these jagged narratives. If you are trying to understand how class is enacted (with a historical and place-based dimension) in contemporary provincial England, then this rich and challenging text should be a starting point.' - Political Geography

'This book...offers a welcome and refreshing antidote to the pathologisation and criminalisation of social problems evident in much present-day political and academic discourse.' - Social Policy & Administration

About the Author

BEN ROGALY teaches in the Department of Geography, University of Sussex, UK.

BECKY TAYLOR is Lecturer in History at Birkbeck College, University of London, UK.