Category Archives: Tim Strangleman

Counting on Class: The Continuing Appeal of Meritocracy

Posted on November 4, 2019 by

Neither faith in nor critiques of the idea of meritocracy is new. Michael Young’s famous 1958 book The Rise of Meritocracy argued that class privilege and advantage were likely to be amplified as financial and cultural capital passed across generations … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Issues, Tim Strangleman, Understanding Class | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Why Can’t It Be Like That Now? Remembering What We Had and Could Have Again

Posted on July 8, 2019 by

‘But why can’t work be like that now?’ my colleague Julia asked when I told her about my research into the former Guinness brewery at Park Road in West London. After working on the project for the best part of … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Issues, Tim Strangleman, Work | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Working-Class Precarity: An Education

Posted on January 21, 2019 by

The teacher who most influenced me was Raphael Samuel, one of the leading social historians of his time – though I didn’t know that when I studied with him.  Raph, as we came to know him, had chosen to work … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Class and the Media, Contributors, Issues, Tim Strangleman, Work | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Working-Class Heroes On — and Behind — the Screen

Posted on September 17, 2018 by

Last week the British Film Institute (BFI) launched a season of screenings on Working Class Heroes at the South Bank in central London. The films selected offer a wide range of film representations of the British working class over the … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and the Media, Contributors, Issues, Tim Strangleman | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Future of Working-Class Studies

Posted on May 21, 2018 by

In 2005, John Russo and Sherry Linkon published their edited collection New Working-Class Studies, drawing together a rich array of writers across a range of disciplines. This was by no means the first book that addressed working-class life and culture, … Continue reading →

Posted in Class at the Intersections, Contributors, Guest Bloggers, Issues, Tim Strangleman | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Know Your Place: A New Generation of Working-Class Voices

Posted on March 26, 2018 by

A literary festival isn’t the obvious place to discuss class, but a couple of weeks ago I found myself introducing a session at my local Faversham Literary Festival on a new book called Know Your Place. Edited by Nathan Connolly … Continue reading →

Posted in Contributors, Issues, Tim Strangleman, Working-Class Culture | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Miseducation and the Working Class

Posted on November 6, 2017 by

A couple of weeks ago my daughter passed the ‘Kent Test’, the exam ten year olds in my area sit in order to stream them for their secondary education. In our town, the options are stark.  Those who pass, like … Continue reading →

Posted in Class and Education, Contributors, Issues, Tim Strangleman | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments