ABSTRACT
To many the village pub is seen as the one remaining institution within village life which can operate as a unifying social centre. The pub is perceived as a place where people of diverse backgrounds can freely enter and socialise. In this article, based on research in an East Anglian village, we show that the pub, in addition to operating in a cohesive manner, also works to maintain social barriers. By investigating the drinking practices of two socially contrasting groups, we examine the way in which pubs are used to establish separate group identities and maintain social boundaries. Instead of helping to dissolve any social barriers that might have existed between such social groups, pubs tended to consolidate them.
