International Journal of Hospitality Management 30 (2011) 765–773 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect International Journal of Hospitality Management journa l h o me page: www.elsevier.com/locate/ijhosman The public house and its role in society’s margins Peter John Sandiford a,* , Peter Divers b,1 a Manchester Metropolitan University, Aytoun Street, Manchester, United Kingdom b Bradford University, Emm Lane, Bradford, United Kingdom a r t i c l e i n f o Keywords: Public houses Community Marginalisation a b s t r a c t The aim of this conceptual paper is to explore the contribution of the British public house (pub) to marginalised sections of the community. There is a long tradition that celebrates the pub’s quasi- egalitarian ethos as welcoming people from all walks of life. However, increased financial pressures on the pub sector dictate an evolution in this role, especially towards disadvantaged sections of society. This situation merits further examination by researchers, managers and policy makers. The paper draws on evidence from different traditions of research including management, sociology, history and geography, to develop a conceptual framework highlighting the issues facing these stakeholders in today’s business environment. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The idea that public houses (pubs) are an important part of British society is common in the literature. The Southwark Tabard was made famous by Chaucer (1986, p. 17) as the setting for the prologue of the Canterbury Tales, a significant part of Shakespeare’s the Merry Wives of Windsor takes place in the Garter Inn and Dickens (1980) presents a “lighthearted sketch” of his more famous great grandfather’s considerable references to pubs in his Victorian nov- els. More recently, television and radio soap operas use pubs as a dramatic device representing a fulcrum for community life. How- ever, the strength of the pub’s position is increasingly questioned. For example, Smith (2008) discusses how small businesses such as pubs are seen as essential to the sustenance of village life. Their closure induces a sense of angst (as tragedies to be mourned) because they illus- trate a passed way of life. The decline in viability of rural and village post offices, corner shops and pubs bring about a sense of communal loss in small communities . . . Yet, decline and fall is an accepted facet in the emotional and economic order (Smith, 2008, p. 372). Despite strong positive views of pubs there are dissenting voices seeing pubs as allowing or even encouraging the binge drinking said to characterise Britain. Feminist writers such as Hey (1986) have also asserted that pubs can reinforce patriarchal norms. She * Corresponding author. Tel.: +44 01612476051; fax: +44 01612476747. E-mail addresses: p.sandiford@mmu.ac.uk (P.J. Sandiford), p.divers@bradford.ac.uk (P. Divers). 1 Tel.: +44 01274234393; fax: +44 01274546866. acknowledges the historical importance of pubs in “the bleak [Vic- torian] landscape of unremitting labour” as a rare opportunity for men to meet and enjoy “the ample social and recreational opportu- nities in warm, well-lit, and comfortable buildings” (Hey, 1986, p. 13). Her key and understandable critical observation is that women had no such respite. This paper explores the social role of pubs in historical and current contexts, specifically in relation to more marginal groups within the community. The concept of marginalisation has long been of interest to both sociologists and hospitality researchers (e.g. Salaman, 1974; Wood, 1992). Although focusing on a single aspect of the hospitality industry, pubs, the authors aim to provide a some- what broader view of marginalisation than Wood’s (1992) original conceptualisation, extending his focus to include customers as well as workers. The idea of social margins here focuses on individuals and groups who find themselves perceptually outside the social mainstream, leading to a degree of disadvantage whether eco- nomic, socio-cultural or political. The paper takes a conceptual rather than empirical approach to the research, focusing on existing research evidence. It draws on a wide range of research traditions, including historical, anthropo- logical, sociological, management and popular literature in order to make sense of the complex social challenges facing today’s pub sector. The next section presents a brief analysis of the idea of marginalisation in society to provide a meaningful con- ceptual framework. This is followed by an historical analysis of the pub and its role in society, before exploring the relationship of the pub with marginal individuals and groups. This provides a somewhat different approach to research into the position of pubs in modern society that demonstrates a particular con- cern with major changes in the sector in recent years. Thus, the issues explored here are of particular relevance to those who are 0278-4319/$ – see front matter © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.ijhm.2010.12.008