Flashback: Drugs and Dealing in the Golden Age of the London Rave Scene

by Jennifer Ward

Overview

This book is a detailed and close examination of the rave club drugs market as it took place in nightclubs, dance parties, pubs and bars and among friendship networks in London, in the mid to late 1990s. It focuses on the organizational features of drugs purchasing and selling and differentiates anonymous drugs trading in public nightclub settings, from selling among extended networks of friends and others. The stories of different people and friendship groups illustrate the varied drug selling roles and highlight the enterprise and entrepreneurship supporting their involvement.

Told from the perspective of author's own membership in this night-time leisure culture, and embracing the disciplines of urban sociology and cultural criminology, this book contributes to our knowledge of recreational drugs markets and night-time leisure cultures. It will be of interest to students and academics with interests in these fields, as well as the many other people whose lives became a part of this vibrant leisure scene.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781000151824
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/10/2020
Series:	ISSN
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Jennifer R. Ward is Lecturer in Criminology in the School of Health and Social Sciences at Middlesex University.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Rave Club Culture 2. Organisation of the London Rave Club Scene 3. Friendship Network Drug-use Styles 4. Drug Selling in London Rave Clubs 5. Social Network Drug Selling 6. The Role of Women in Drug Selling 7. Scaling-up and Moving Out of Drug Selling 8. Later Lives and Conclusions

Editorial Reviews

'This is a fine study and the investment in ethnographic research over a period of five years in the field yields a rich dividend in data and valuable insight. The theoretical framework employed relates the data to other contemporary approaches to recreational drug consumption in thoughtful and illuminating ways. The energy generated through the adoption of Thatcherite entrepreneurial values is evaluated very well and, as Ward suggests, there are important insights to be gained from examining the ‘business end’ of the dance and rave phenomenon.'
-Paul Manning, University of Winchester, UK, in Crime, Media, Culture vol 8 no 2

From the Publisher