Coal Cracker Culture

Coalcracker Culture traces the evolution of a distinct regional culture in the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania. The book's guiding premise is that work provided a diverse population with its only shared set of experiences and therefore became the primary determinant of its culture. The harsh realities of mining fostered a culture that stressed fear of losing an income, hard work, self-reliance, family physical toughness, suspicion of others, reciprocity, and a behavioral pattern of internalized inferiority offset by an externalized pride that was often projected through an overly macho definition of manhood.