New Books Network Sarah Kenny, "Growing Up and Going Out: Youth Culture, Commerce, and Leisure Space in Post-War Britain" (Manchester UP, 2025)
Jun 29, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Sarah Kenny, a Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Birmingham, dives into youth culture in post-war Britain, specifically through the lens of Sheffield. She reveals how changing leisure spaces, such as pubs and nightclubs, shaped young identities. Kenny highlights the evolving dynamics of commerce in youth culture and the moral panic surrounding leisure activities. She also explores gendered experiences in nightlife and examines intriguing topics like underage drinking and marketing to teenagers in the 1960s.
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Youth Experience Shaped by Space
- Place and space actively shape youth experiences rather than being mere backdrops.
- Studying a single city reveals how urban environments and youth culture dynamically interact.
Coffee Bars Sparked Moral Panic
- Coffee bars in the 1950s-60s served as lively youth leisure hubs, often with live music.
- These spaces sparked moral panic due to associations with drug use and social mixing.
Big Businesses Controlled Youth Leisure
- Large leisure businesses like Mecca and Top Rank shaped youth culture through investment and venue innovation.
- Their policies included racialized and gendered exclusions, influencing who could access leisure spaces.
