Leisure and Cultural Conflict in Twentieth-century Britain ed. by Brett Bebber (review)

Brett Bebber’s volume provides an interesting and useful addition to the historiography of leisure and cultural conflicts in contemporary Britain. It has a wide scope that addresses several major themes such as sport, leisure activities, and various forms of consumption. Drawing on the expertise of eminent and emerging scholars, this volume provides a rounded picture of the evolution of Britain’s leisure culture in the twentieth century, showing how various influences, most notably Americanization, sport, and multiculturalism have permeated British social life and how this contributed, in certain areas, to cultural conflicts.

Allison Abra’s chapter on dancing explores how leisure activities were becoming less gender-specific at the end of the First World War. A growing number of dance schools opened at the end of the war, gaining the attention of both men and women. This proved not only a popular pastime but a form of sport in which some people used for exercise and others used as a form of increasing social interaction. The influence of American culture, especially through the growing popularity of dances such as the “Charleston,” increased concerns about vulgarity in what was a conservative society but acted as a means of emancipation and cultural change for many youngsters previously unexposed to new forms of cultural activity and social norms.

Brad Beaven and Kelly Boyd’s chapters examine the influence of cinema culture on Britons. The perception that the cinema was a form of cheap entertainment helped to increase both their popularity and influence. Beaven focuses on the growth of cinema culture in 1930s Britain, reporting that the largest increase in cinema-going was among the working class, with more women choosing to frequent cinemas compared to men in many industrial areas. The British government’s attempts to censor certain movies had largely failed, and Britons were exposed to the full gamut of American culture as depicted in Hollywood movies. This is explored in more detail in Boyd’s chapter on the influence of the Western movies in British popular culture, although Boyd also notes that numerous characters in the movies were either British or based on a British idea, thus illustrating further the deepening connection between Britain and America vis-à-vis the development of a new and more varied leisure culture.

Sandra Dawson on the other hand successfully demonstrates that the circus was a distinctly British institution—one that had a long history and was deeply embedded in British culture and identity. The sports performed by animals in the circus became more regulated after 1925 with the passing of the Performing Animals (Regulation) Act—a move that Dawson convincingly argues demonstrates a move towards a more humane and compassionate attitude towards animals but one that also recognized the centrality of this leisure form for Britons. In so doing, improving regulation in this area helped to preserve the circus as a major leisure outlet whilst still ensuring the safety and better treatment for animals—a situation that was now helped through the work of the Royal Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA)

Bebber’s chapter on football violence demonstrates the interconnectedness between sport, violence, social unrest, and economic dissatisfaction in Britain throughout the 1970s and 1980s. However, the increased violence led to greater recognition from government officials concerning the importance of sport and ensuring safety in sporting activities in Britain in the latter part of the twentieth century, leading to better methods of crowd control being introduced at all football grounds and the provision for legal punishments to perpetrators of violence at sporting events. Nevertheless, the policies included the same treatment for men and women, with many women complaining that tougher legislation had branded them all as hooligans. These developments occurred concurrently with the development of new attitudes towards drugs, as shown by Chad Martin in his chapter on cannabis, where he questions the extent to which the permissive society...