Representing Identity and Work in Transition: The Case of South Yorkshire Coal-mining Communities in the UK

Abstract

This chapter explores the changing face of the former South Yorkshire coalfields.1 The place of coal mining in this area was essential to the economy of the region from the turn of the twentieth century, intensifying and consolidating its production following the Second World War. These developments powerfully transformed and shaped the region, embedding cultural traditions and social identities that defined South Yorkshire through the working of both coal and steel.