Scottish settlement houses from 1886 – 1934

HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform

Bruce, Lynn ; Freeman, Mark

University:University of Glasgow

Department:Adam Smith Business School

关键词: HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform;   

Others  :  http://theses.gla.ac.uk/3723/1/2012BrucePhD.pdf

来源: University of Glasgow

【 摘 要 】

This thesis examines the history of Scottish settlement houses from 1886 until 1934.TheScottish settlements have attracted little attention from academics and no overarchingstudy of these organisations has previously been done.This thesis seeks to address thislacuna and situate their achievements within the wider context of the changing role ofvoluntary organisations in this period.Using archival resources, it argues that settlementsmade important contributions to Scottish society through social work, training courses andadult education.They pioneered new methods, explored new areas of work and providedtheir local communities with access to services that they may not otherwise have received. This thesis demonstrates the way in which voluntary bodies evolved in response to localand national pressures and changing social attitudes in order to remain successful andrelevant in a period during which their role was changing.There were six settlements inScotland, each with their own agenda and areas of interest.The settlements remaineddistinct and independent organisations and there was a limited amount of cooperation between them.This diversity in both location and aims of the settlements gives rise to arange of themes that will be examined in the thesis.The original settlement ideal focusedon ameliorating class differences by reforming the characters of working-class individualsthrough personal connection between them and middle-class settlers.The thesis willexamine how this evolved over time.As the state at both a local and national levelassumed more responsibility for social services, the role of settlements adapted toencompass training for professional social workers and as the working classes gained morepolitical power the settlements sought to make them ‘fit for citizenship’.Likewise, as theoriginal settlement ideal had denied the legitimacy of working-class culture andcommunity, this attitude also evolved and settlements began to focus on developing strongcommunities within working-class areas.