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[email protected] PLEASURE, AGENCY, SPACE AND PLACE: AN ETHNOGRAPHY OF YOUTH DRINKING CULTURES IN A SOUTH WEST LONDON COMMUNITY By Laura Kelly Barnett Canterbury Christ Church University Thesis submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2017 ABSTRACT Media, government and public discourse in the UK associate young drinkers as mindless, hedonistic consumers of alcohol, resulting in young people epitomising ‘Binge Britain’. This preoccupation with ‘binge’ drinking amplifies moral panics surrounding youth alcohol consumption whereby consideration of the social and cultural nuances of pleasure that give meaning to young people’s excessive drinking practices and values has been given little priority. This sociological study explores how young drinkers regulate their drinking practices through levels of agency which is informed by values linked to the pursuit of pleasurable intoxication alongside friendship groups in a variety of drinking settings.