Review of a community study

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Review of a community study: ‘Coal is our Life’. An analysis of a

Yorkshire mining community (2nd edition 1969).

Dennis, F., Henriques, F. and Slaughter, C. (1956 ). London: Tavistock.

The book entitled ‘Coal is our Life’ is  based on a community study of the

social life of a mining community in Yorkshire. The study took place five

years after the nationalization of the coal industry in 1954 and was

financially supported by the Nuffield Foundation.  Based on  research

undertaken by Norman Dennis, Fernando Henriques and Clifford

Slaughter it was first published in 1956 and then republished in 1969 in an

attempt to assess whether the findings of the original study retained any

validity some fifteen years later.  The book examines the

social life of the mining community referred to as Ashton, the findings are

based on the aspects of the community studied by the authors

which include  location, population, working life, trade unionism, leisure

and family.

This essay will provide a critical review of the work presented by Dennis,

Henriques and Slaughter in their analysis of a Yorkshire mining

community.

The purpose of the study was to investigate how the main source of

employment influences social life particularly after the 1949

nationalisation of the mining industry. The authors suggest that their

findings confirm that the majority of miners regarded the promise of

security, prosperity and a new life following nationalisation and the

welfare state as a lie . Furthermore the authors express their findings are

justified and must be progressed and developed upon on rather than

rejected or replaced for the ‘ideological dream world of the affluent

societies, embourgeoisement and the institutionalisation of conflict’.

Dennis et al, 1969: 9

The method of research is defined by the authors as that of a

community study technique, strongly influenced by the methodology of

social anthropology. The authors express that the use of such a

technique encounters potential drawbacks when applied in modern

industry based societies. The authors go on to state that their research

does not necessarily reflect the community framework of every level of

social life and that phenomena such as relationships in families is

imposed by the coal mining industry upon which the community is based.

Dennis, et al, 1969: 7

The authors refer to Ashton historically as a rural village, that was until the

first colliery opened in 1868. Statistical information taken from

organisational records is used to highlight how the growth of the town

depended on the development of collieries. The statistics show that prior

to 1861 the total population in Ashton was between 600 and 700. In 1868

the first colliery was opened and population was recorded as 2,265 in

1871.The first shaft at Ashton Colliery sunk in 1877 and in 1881

population increased to 5,901. Three further developments between 1885

and 1913 saw population peak to 14,842 by 1921. Between 1921 and

1951 there was no colliery developments recorded however statistics

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from1931 show population levels plateau at 14,955 and then decrease

 to 13,925 by 1951. Dennis et al, 1969: 12

The authors also highlight the development of housing correlated with the

growth of population. Statistics show that even though population had

decreased by 1951 in the same year Ashton recorded the highest ever

number of inhibited houses. It was stated that between 1911 and 1953

almost 1,300 houses were built in Ashton, the majority  by the local

authority or National Coal Board. Dennis et al, ...

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