In the United States, places of drink are historically linked to community and social interactions, and such establishments often possess loyal patrons for whom going to the local bar is a natural and routine part of their daily life. In People, Place, and Attachment in Local Bars, John McEwen places drinking establishments at the fore of American geography as containers of material culture and collective history. McEwen draws on ethnographic data collected in four local bars in West Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to present a new unified theory of people-place relationships. McEwen highlights sense of place, place attachment, and the concept of rootedness.

John W. McEwen, PhD, is independent scholar.