Pubs for the people

Sivamohan Valluvan is a sociologist at the University of Warwick. He is the author of The Clamour of Nationalism: Race and Nation in Twenty-First-Century Britain (2019). His writing has appeared in the Guardian, Renewal, Salvage, Red Pepper and Progressive Review.Amit Singh is a sociologist at University College London. He is the author of Cancelled Futures: Class, Race, and Place in Post-Industrial Britain (2026). He would, in another life, have been a fourth-generation publican.

‘Brilliant: one of the sharpest and strangest books ever written about English nationalism. Moving from the corporate behemoth of Wetherspoons to desi pubs, from colour bars to Malcolm X in Smethwick, Valluvan and Singh recover the pub as a declining yet resilient working-class social infrastructure. English nationalism thrives on loss and social decay, but this book shows that the materials for a militant left response are already there, at the bar.’Richard Seymour, author of Disaster Nationalism‘A book that could not be more timely. This is a politically sharp and sardonically funny history of a precious institution too often reduced to stereotype and nostalgia. It is also a generous tribute to convivial culture and a manifesto on behalf of the local in both senses, for a place that should be always the same and always different.’Owen Hatherley, author of The Alienation Effect‘Raising a glass from Dar es Salaam to the desi pubs of Dudley Road, this book offers an up-to-date examination and possible path forward for the Great British pub and its loyal patrons.’John Warland, Founder of Liquid History Tours‘Taking us for a pint in a variety of establishments, from Wetherspoons to Black Country desi pubs, this book nudges our understanding of the English pub away from today's right-wing hallucination and back towards something more accurate and nuanced. In doing so, it reveals the pub's capacity for ordinary, everyday togetherness. A clever, charming and powerfully convivial book.’Emma Warren, author of Up the Youth Club: A Love Letter‘Pubs for the people is an enjoyable counterpoint to declinist narratives about the health of the pub, and also the country itself. It eschews nostalgia for what pubs used to be and instead celebrates them as a resilient and fluid format that has adapted to the needs of people today.’Jonathan Nunn, writer and co-editor of Vittles‘With Pubs for the people, Amit and Vallu have really captured the spirit of the British pub and offered a crucial perspective on the importance of its continued existence. So often this great cultural institution is taken for granted, but here it is captured with deep respect, an incredible level of research and some wonderful writing.’Matthew Curtis, editor, Pellicle Magazine‘At a time when everything is pushing us all to be as isolated, alienated and automated as possible, Pubs for the people reminds us of the importance of protecting the Great British pub as a space where communities can share in kinship and merriment. Written to be read with one hand, while you hold a fresh pint with the other.’Kojo Koram, author of Uncommon Wealth: Britain and the Aftermath of Empire‘Amit and Vallu's sociological eye has brought a genuinely fresh perspective to the analysis of the British pub, past, present and future. But it is their personal experiences and family stories that make the book truly credible. This frank discussion of both the rough and the smooth of the pub experience offers something that will fascinate the general reader and resonate deeply with the regular pub goer.’Laura Hadland, drinks writer and CAMRA Campaigner of the Year 2024‘A vital book about the difference between the pub being typically English versus exclusively English. A bold reimagining of the pub as part of the solution, not the problem, to the radicalism and racial tension currently gripping Britain.’Pete Brown, author of Clubland: How the Working Men’s Club Shaped Britain

• Introduction: pubs for the people?1 The rise and fall of the pub2 Racism, rupees and the ‘world famous’ Glassy Junction3 The Wetherspoons takeover4 Hipster pubs, gastropubs and somewhere in between5 Death of the rural pub?6 Pubs for other Englands: mixed grills in the MidlandsConclusion: salvaging the good life?Index