ABSTRACT
In many ways the fate of the shebeens in Southview explains the limits of the ability of cultural regeneration strategies to absorb the transgressive. The shebeens however occupied an uneasy space between the unlawful and the lawful: unlawful because they were not regulated through licensing law, 'lawful' because as in the case of many night spaces bending the rules was normalised. The legacy of criminalisation combined with perceived disorderliness entailed that they were neither seen as a useful cultural contribution nor, despite their popularity, as a potential economic driver. Southview had a history of discrimination in employment, housing, the local institutions of governance, and entertainment. One aspect of the radical and cultural change was the development of unregulated spaces for entertainment, known as shebeens or 'blues parties', and their popularity throughout the 1970's and 1980's sealed Southview's subcultural reputation.
