From Labouring to Learning

“This is a substantial and rich ethnographic study on the implications of economic restructuring on the lived experiences of working class men and the multifaceted ways in which masculinity is performed across space and through time.” (Darren T. Baker, Symbolic Interaction, 2016)

"From Labouring to Learning is one of the most significant studies on working class masculinities since Willis's Learning to Labour and Walker's Louts and Legends. His metaphor of chameleonisation captures the complexities of the classed, gendered and heteronormative processes involved in the re-traditionalized and re-embodied practices of masculinity." - Wayne J. Martino, Professor of Equity and Social Justice, The University of Western Ontario, Canada

"This book demonstrates the complex nature of masculinities as young men move through different forms of further and vocational education. This book is a major contributions to masculinity studies, to the sociology of education and to local community-based social inquiry." - David H. J. Morgan, Emeritus Professor, University of Manchester, UK

"Ward unpacks the multiple, often contradictory, ways young men perform masculinity and attempt to maintain masculine control in this fraught context. Most originally, his analysis reveals how masculine performance and power are intricately entangled with place." - Edward W. Morris, Associate Professor, University of Kentucky, USA

"Close observations, detailed field notes and the author's own willingness to listen, make for a rewarding ethnography showcasing the shape-shifting aspects of young masculinities in rapidly changing times." - Anoop Nayak, Professor in Social and Cultural Geography, Newcastle University, UK

"The past 30-40 years have witnessed a number of educational ethnographies all of which have provided important insight into the way in which formal learning has the potential to impact the wider orbits of everyday life. Some of these accounts have focused on gender relations and where this has been the case the relationship between individual identity and educational trajectory has come to the fore. In this ground-breaking book, Michael Ward maps the educational journeys of a small group of working-class males from the Welsh Valleys charting both the history and impact of de-industrialisation in this once vibrant economic community. Set within the context of the social and political realities of modern-day life and an in situ personal biography, From Labouring to Learning presents a nuanced articulation of how young men from the Valleys 'do' masculinity in a world where traditional forms of manliness remain and where broader conceptions of gender and sexuality are flavoured by the cultural expectations of by-gone days."- Andrew Parker, Professor of Sport and Christian Outreach, University of Gloucestershire, UK.