Alcohol consumption is frequently described as a contemporary, worsening and peculiarly British social problem that requires radical remedial regulation. Informed by historical research and sociological analysis, this book takes an innovative and refreshing look at how public attitudes and the regulation of alcohol have developed through time. It argues that, rather than a response to trends in consumption or harm, ongoing anxieties about alcohol are best understood as 'hangovers' derived, in particular, from the Victorian period. The product of several years of research, this book aims to help readers re-evaluate their understandings of drinking. As such, it is essential reading for students, academics and anyone with a serious interest in Britain's 'drink problem'.
Alcohol consumption is frequently described as a contemporary, worsening and peculiarly British social problem that requires radical remedial regulation. Informed by historical research and sociological analysis, this book takes an innovative and refreshing look at how public attitudes and the regulation of alcohol have developed through time. It argues that, rather than a response to trends in consumption or harm, ongoing anxieties about alcohol are best understood as 'hangovers' derived, in particular, from the Victorian period. The product of several years of research, this book aims to help readers re-evaluate their understandings of drinking. As such, it is essential reading for students, academics and anyone with a serious interest in Britain's 'drink problem'.
Thinking about drinking;
Temperance and teetotalism;
Balancing act or spirited measures?;
The apogee of the temperance movement;
An age of permissiveness;
Alcohol, crime and disorder;
Health, harm and risk;
Conclusion: spirited measures and Victorian hangovers.
Henry Yeomans is Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies at the University of Leeds, UK. Henry completed his PhD at the University of Plymouth and has published in several academic journals and edited collections on topics such as the British temperance movement, licensing reform and the concept of moral regulation. He was awarded the SAGE Prize for Innovation and/or Excellence in 2012.
"This is a significant and original work which synthesises a comprehensive grasp of the legal history of alcohol in England with a sensitive application of the relatively new conceptual framework of moral regulation and thus reshapes our understanding of the complex of factors shaping past and present control of alcohol consumption." Professor Charles Critcher, Sheffield Hallam University; "This engaging text is a 'must-read' for anyone interested in moral panics, and should be read widely by anyone interested more broadly in the medicalisation of society and its problems, or in the practice of 'legislating for one's own good'. It is an important and timely study, and should be widely read." Dr Judith Rowbotham, Director, SOLON, and Associate Research Fellow, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, University of London; "Yeomans' thought-provoking book explores how laws and beliefs regarding alcohol evolved in Britain. The historical analysis is useful for contextualizing present-day debates about alcohol-related issues." -Tiffany Bergin, Kent State University, USA
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