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{{short description|Type of small, often primitive shelter or dwelling}}
{{other uses}}
{{other uses}}
{{refimprove|date=October 2018}}
{{more citations needed|date=October 2018}}
[[File:Shack in Pigeon Forge, TN by Zachary Davies.jpg|thumb|A large shack near [[Pigeon Forge]], Tennessee]]
[[File:Shack in Pigeon Forge, TN by Zachary Davies.jpg|thumb|A large shack near [[Pigeon Forge]], Tennessee]]


A '''shack''' (or, in some areas, '''shanty''') is a type of small shelter or dwelling, often primitive or rudimentary in design and construction.
A '''shack''' (or, less often, shanty) is a type of small, often primitive shelter or dwelling. Like [[hut]]s, shacks are constructed by hand using available materials; however, whereas huts are usually rural and made of natural materials (mud, rocks, sticks, etc.) shacks are generally composed of [[waste picker|scavenged]] man-made materials like abandoned construction debris, repurposed consumer waste and other useful discarded objects that can be quickly acquired at little or no cost and fashioned into a small [[dwelling]].


Unlike [[hut]]s, shacks are constructed by hand using available materials; however, whereas huts are usually rural and made of natural materials (mud, rocks, sticks, etc.) shacks are generally composed of [[waste picker|scavenged]] man-made materials like abandoned [[construction debris]], repurposed consumer waste and other useful discarded objects that can be quickly acquired at little or no cost and fashioned into a small [[dwelling]].

==Background==
In areas of high [[population density]] and high poverty, shacks are often the most prevalent form of housing; it is possible that up to a billion people worldwide live in shacks.<ref>Planet of Slums, Verso, 2006</ref> Fire is a significant hazard in tight-knit shack settlements.<ref>[http://www.abahlali.org/node/4013 A Big Devil in the Jondolos: A report on shack fires by Matt Birkinshaw]</ref> Settlements composed mostly or entirely of shacks are known as [[slums]] or [[shanty town]]s.
In areas of high [[population density]] and high poverty, shacks are often the most prevalent form of housing; it is possible that up to a billion people worldwide live in shacks.<ref>Planet of Slums, Verso, 2006</ref> Fire is a significant hazard in tight-knit shack settlements.<ref>[http://www.abahlali.org/node/4013 A Big Devil in the Jondolos: A report on shack fires by Matt Birkinshaw]</ref> Settlements composed mostly or entirely of shacks are known as [[slums]] or [[shanty town]]s.


In [[Australian English]] ''shack'' can also refer to a small holiday house with limited conveniences, for instance it may not have running water or electricity.
In [[Australian English]], ''shack'' can also refer to a small holiday house with limited conveniences, for instance it may not have running water or electricity.

In Canadian oilfield drilling, a shack can also be the word for a wellsite trailer. These structures are notorious among oilfield workers for being cramped, uncomfortable and generally unpleasant to be in.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, ''tar paper shacks'' consisting of wooden frames covered with [[tar paper]] were a common form of very low-cost housing in the rural United States and Canada.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.loc.gov/item/2017718447/ | title=Tar paper shack in Minnesota cut-over area, Beltrami County, Minnesota | website=[[Library of Congress]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sdhspress.com/blog/flashback-friday-carrie-ingalls-her-tar-paper-shack | title=Flashback Friday: Carrie Ingalls & Her Tar Paper Shack }}</ref>


==Cultural role in freethought==
In oilfield drilling (Canada) a shack can also be the word for a wellsite trailer. Structures that were once notorious among oilfield workers for being cramped, uncomfortable and generally unpleasant to be in are now no longer good enough for companies that are serious about [[employee retention]].{{citation needed|date=October 2018}}
In the frontier history of the United States, [[freethinkers]] have often used shacks—small, rundown buildings or structures—as a place to develop new ideas outside the literal confines of the establishment. Professor Michael Lannoo and science writer and editor Eric Engles note the role of shacks in American culture as simple structures that "allow an uncluttered perspective on life's larger questions". Lanoo writes that shacks played a large role in the development of environmental and ecological ideas and philosophy in the United States, allowing people to interact with and investigate nature at a closer level, particularly in the work of [[Henry David Thoreau]], [[John Muir]], [[Aldo Leopold]], and [[Ed Ricketts]]. These shacks also served as a meeting place for like-minded people.<ref>Lanoo, Michael J. (2010). ''Leopold's Shack and Ricketts's Lab''. University of California Press. pp. 1-7; {{ISBN|9780520946064}}. {{OCLC|646788647}}.</ref>


==Gallery==
<gallery class="center" caption="" widths="200px" heights="170px">
<gallery class="center" caption="">
File:Kayamandi 02.jpg|Shacks in [[Kayamandi]], [[South Africa]]
File:Kayamandi 02.jpg|Shacks in [[Kayamandi]], [[South Africa]]
File:Tyrnava River 20070506.JPG|A shack by the Tyrnävä River (''Tyrnävänjoki'') in [[Tyrnävä]], [[Finland]].
File:Rundown Shack.jpg|In relatively affluent areas, shacks are often used for storage or have been abandoned.
File:Rundown Shack.jpg|In relatively affluent areas, shacks are often used for storage or have been abandoned.
File:Jakarta_slumhome_2.jpg|A multi-family shack in a riverside shantytown, [[Jakarta]], [[Indonesia]].
File:Jakarta_slumhome_2.jpg|A multi-family shack in a riverside shantytown, [[Jakarta]], [[Indonesia]].
File:Shacks within Namib Desert.jpg|Shacks of [[Damara people]] within [[Namib]] Desert
File:Watchman's houses Fridingen.jpg|Shack near railway line
File:Tar paper shack.jpg|Tar paper shack in the United States, 1930s
File:AldoLeopoldShack.jpg|[[Aldo Leopold Shack and Farm|Aldo Leopold's shack]]
</gallery>
</gallery>


== See also ==
== See also ==
* [[Radio shack]]
* [[Beach hut]]
* [[Beach hut]]
* [[Beach cabin]]
* [[Log cabin]]
* [[Log cabin]]
* [[Log house]]
* [[Log house]]
* [[Hunting lodge]]
* [[Hunting and shooting in the United Kingdom#Hunting lodge|Hunting lodge]]
* [[Mountain lodge]]
* [[Mountain hut|Mountain lodge]]
* [[Sweat lodge]]
* [[Sweat lodge]]
* [[Tipi]]
* [[Tipi]]

Latest revision as of 01:07, 17 June 2024

A large shack near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

A shack (or, in some areas, shanty) is a type of small shelter or dwelling, often primitive or rudimentary in design and construction.

Unlike huts, shacks are constructed by hand using available materials; however, whereas huts are usually rural and made of natural materials (mud, rocks, sticks, etc.) shacks are generally composed of scavenged man-made materials like abandoned construction debris, repurposed consumer waste and other useful discarded objects that can be quickly acquired at little or no cost and fashioned into a small dwelling.

Background

[edit]

In areas of high population density and high poverty, shacks are often the most prevalent form of housing; it is possible that up to a billion people worldwide live in shacks.[1] Fire is a significant hazard in tight-knit shack settlements.[2] Settlements composed mostly or entirely of shacks are known as slums or shanty towns.

In Australian English, shack can also refer to a small holiday house with limited conveniences, for instance it may not have running water or electricity.

In Canadian oilfield drilling, a shack can also be the word for a wellsite trailer. These structures are notorious among oilfield workers for being cramped, uncomfortable and generally unpleasant to be in.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, tar paper shacks consisting of wooden frames covered with tar paper were a common form of very low-cost housing in the rural United States and Canada.[3][4]

Cultural role in freethought

[edit]

In the frontier history of the United States, freethinkers have often used shacks—small, rundown buildings or structures—as a place to develop new ideas outside the literal confines of the establishment. Professor Michael Lannoo and science writer and editor Eric Engles note the role of shacks in American culture as simple structures that "allow an uncluttered perspective on life's larger questions". Lanoo writes that shacks played a large role in the development of environmental and ecological ideas and philosophy in the United States, allowing people to interact with and investigate nature at a closer level, particularly in the work of Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, and Ed Ricketts. These shacks also served as a meeting place for like-minded people.[5]

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Planet of Slums, Verso, 2006
  2. ^ A Big Devil in the Jondolos: A report on shack fires by Matt Birkinshaw
  3. ^ "Tar paper shack in Minnesota cut-over area, Beltrami County, Minnesota". Library of Congress.
  4. ^ "Flashback Friday: Carrie Ingalls & Her Tar Paper Shack".
  5. ^ Lanoo, Michael J. (2010). Leopold's Shack and Ricketts's Lab. University of California Press. pp. 1-7; ISBN 9780520946064. OCLC 646788647.