Brick and Mortar Dreams and Nightmares: a Historical Look at the Role of Home Ownership in Britain
The nationwide preoccupation with the “property ladder” and the high premium placed on owning one’s own home have traditionally set Britain apart from other European countries, where renting has been a popular living choice carrying few negative social connotations. The view of home ownership as th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pardubice
2021-12-01
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| Series: | American and British Studies Annual |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://absa.upce.cz/index.php/absa/article/view/2358 |
| _version_ | 1797832621003112448 |
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| author | Alice Tihelková |
| author_facet | Alice Tihelková |
| author_sort | Alice Tihelková |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
The nationwide preoccupation with the “property ladder” and the high premium placed on owning one’s own home have traditionally set Britain apart from other European countries, where renting has been a popular living choice carrying few negative social connotations. The view of home ownership as the affirmation of the individual’s full membership in society persists to this day, despite the UK currently facing a massive housing shortage and growing unaffordability of homes. Taking a historical perspective, the paper identifies the key developments that have contributed to home ownership acquiring such enormous social value for the British and reveals a number of adverse social consequences of the overemphasis on owner-occupancy. Special attention will be devoted to the concept of property-owning democracy and the Right to Buy policies spearheaded by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, with the aim of revealing how they contributed to the housing crisis Britain is experiencing at present. In addition to books dealing with history and cultural studies, the paper draws on recent sociological reports, blogs, newspaper articles and documentary films.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T14:10:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3f0fb9f2a7494f3fab66080582611fa6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1803-6058 2788-2233 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T14:10:47Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | University of Pardubice |
| record_format | Article |
| series | American and British Studies Annual |
| spelling | doaj.art-3f0fb9f2a7494f3fab66080582611fa62023-05-06T14:00:08ZengUniversity of PardubiceAmerican and British Studies Annual1803-60582788-22332021-12-0114Brick and Mortar Dreams and Nightmares: a Historical Look at the Role of Home Ownership in BritainAlice Tihelková0Charles University The nationwide preoccupation with the “property ladder” and the high premium placed on owning one’s own home have traditionally set Britain apart from other European countries, where renting has been a popular living choice carrying few negative social connotations. The view of home ownership as the affirmation of the individual’s full membership in society persists to this day, despite the UK currently facing a massive housing shortage and growing unaffordability of homes. Taking a historical perspective, the paper identifies the key developments that have contributed to home ownership acquiring such enormous social value for the British and reveals a number of adverse social consequences of the overemphasis on owner-occupancy. Special attention will be devoted to the concept of property-owning democracy and the Right to Buy policies spearheaded by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, with the aim of revealing how they contributed to the housing crisis Britain is experiencing at present. In addition to books dealing with history and cultural studies, the paper draws on recent sociological reports, blogs, newspaper articles and documentary films. https://absa.upce.cz/index.php/absa/article/view/2358home ownershiphousing crisisRight to BuyThatcherproperty-owning democracycouncil housing |
| spellingShingle | Alice Tihelková Brick and Mortar Dreams and Nightmares: a Historical Look at the Role of Home Ownership in Britain American and British Studies Annual home ownership housing crisis Right to Buy Thatcher property-owning democracy council housing |
| title | Brick and Mortar Dreams and Nightmares: a Historical Look at the Role of Home Ownership in Britain |
| title_full | Brick and Mortar Dreams and Nightmares: a Historical Look at the Role of Home Ownership in Britain |
| title_fullStr | Brick and Mortar Dreams and Nightmares: a Historical Look at the Role of Home Ownership in Britain |
| title_full_unstemmed | Brick and Mortar Dreams and Nightmares: a Historical Look at the Role of Home Ownership in Britain |
| title_short | Brick and Mortar Dreams and Nightmares: a Historical Look at the Role of Home Ownership in Britain |
| title_sort | brick and mortar dreams and nightmares a historical look at the role of home ownership in britain |
| topic | home ownership housing crisis Right to Buy Thatcher property-owning democracy council housing |
| url | https://absa.upce.cz/index.php/absa/article/view/2358 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alicetihelkova brickandmortardreamsandnightmaresahistoricallookattheroleofhomeownershipinbritain |