Alcohol, Drinking, Drunkenness: (Dis)Orderly Spaces

While disciplines such as anthropology, sociology, politics, social policy and the health and medical sciences have a tradition of exploring the centrality of alcohol, drinking and drunkenness to people's lives, geographers have only previously addressed these topics as a peripheral concern. Over the past few years, however, this view has begun to change, accelerated by an upsurge in interest in alcohol consumption relating to political and popular debate in countries throughout the world.

This book represents the first systematic overview of geographies of alcohol, drinking and drunkenness. It asks what role alcohol, drinking and drunkenness plays in people's lives and how space and place are key constituents of alcohol consumption. It also examines the economic, political, social, cultural and spatial practices and processes that are bound up with alcohol, drinking and drunkenness.

Designed as a reference text, each chapter blends theoretical material with empirical case studies in order to analyse drinking in public and private space, in the city and the countryside, as well as focusing on gender, generations, ethnicity and emotional and embodied geographies.

Contents: Introduction: geographies of alcohol, drinking and drunkenness; The city; The countryside; Home; Gender; Ethnicity; Generations; Emotions and bodies; Afterword: 'one for the road?'; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.

About the Author: Dr Mark Jayne, Department of Geography, University of Manchester, UK, Professor Gill Valentine, Department of Geography, University of Leeds, UK and Sarah L. Holloway, Professor of Human Geography, Loughborough University, UK

Reviews: 'At long last, a book that focuses on alcohol, drinking and drunkenness from a geographical perspective. Although geography is a "late-comer" to the field of alcohol research, the authors show that its contribution can be strikingly significant. Alcohol, Drinking and Drunkenness is an exceptionally important and comprehensive book that researchers, not only those in alcohol research, should read. This book has many insights also for researchers interested in youth studies, the city and the countryside, public and private domains, and gender and ethnicity. If this book is any guide, we can hopefully look forward to more research by geographers on alcohol issues.'
Geoffrey Hunt, Institute for Scientific Analysis, San Francisco, USA

'By combining new research with a comprehensive review of literature this book presents an important, accessible overview of the contribution human geographers are making to understanding alcohol use and problem drinking in our society. It provides a valuable resource for students, researchers and policy makers.'
Betsy Thom, Middlesex University, UK.