The Living World Of A Miner

Coal miners are typical industrial workers since industrialization of our country, they have typical characteristic of the working class. Because of the particularity of their career, a culture of coal miners have been established on this basis. Under the background of social transformation, the living model, working model and social attitude of coal miners have been both changed a lot. One hand, this thesis on the basis of previous studies, through entering a miner family, record and describe his living and working, showing a special culture and living manner of a miner and his life groups through the ethnographic way; On the other hand, through the description of miner’s living method and mine culture, to discuss miners’ economical life, political life and social attitude under the background of transformation. And to think about the the future and destiny of the underlying industrial workers.There are three parts of this thesis. Firstly, the introduction part induct the study of coal miners at home and abroad, and on this basis this part put forward the two purposes of this study:one is to reveal and understand the miner culture and to analyse the the change of miner culture.The second part is field ethnography. Through entering the field point to have a observation, to describe the miner’s family life, working environment, community life, colleague contacts, emergencies and mental features. The last part is the conclusion, induct and summarize the features of miner culture. Through analysing the duality interactive of position and social of miner class, this thesis think that the elements of miner culture are as follows:Firstly, they are pay more attention of family, to compare with other occupation, miners are attach importance to the family relationship. Secondly, they have a separation common characteristics, rough, sloppy, bold, but at work, they are cautious and careful. These two opposite characteristic are expressed on the miners.Thirdly, they have a strong crisis sense, they are clear about the high danger of the miner occupation, so they are showed a sense of crisis in their life more or less. Fourthly, they have a mess and fuzzy belief, there exist some person who have beliefs in the group of miners, however, this belief has a strong utilitarian, and for, the characteristic of self-protection. It is not a pure belief, but a method of praying god. Fifthly, miners group is a class of symbol sign, they both have contradiction and identity with social system and national policy. Miners have to think about their future in this duality structure of opposition and unity.