Subcultural theory : traditions and concepts / J. Patrick Williams.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Williams, J. Patrick, 1970-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Subculture.

Physical Description:

x, 214 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, UK ; Malden, MA : Polity Press, 2011.

Summary:

Subcultural phenomena continue to draw attention from many areas of contemporary society, including the news media, the marketing and fashion industries, concerned parents, religious, and other citizen groups, as well as academia. Research into these phenomena has spanned the humanities and social sciences, and the subcultural theories that underlie this work are similarly interdisciplinary. Subcultural Theory brings these diverse analytic issues together in a single text, offering readers a concise discussion of the major concepts and debates that have developed over more than eighty years of subcultural research, including style, stratification, resistance, identity, media, and "post subcultures."

The text emphasizes methods, concepts, and analysis rather than mere descriptions of individual subcultures, all the while ensuring readers will gain insight into past and present youthful subcultures, including mod, punk, hardcore, straightedge, messenger, goth, riot grrrl, hip-hop, skinhead, and extreme metal, among others. The book closes with an assessment of the subculture concept as a viable and useful sociological tool in comparison with other fields of study including social movements and fandom. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Subcultural Theory 1

Defining subculture 5

Problems theorizing subculture 8

Outline of the book 13

2 Theoretical and Methodological Traditions 17

American traditions I-the Chicago School and urban ethnography 18

American traditions II-deviance and strain 21

British traditions I-the Birmingham School and cultural studies 26

British traditions II-from the Manchester School to post-subculture studies 29

Back to subculture-the symbolic interactionist tradition 35

3 Race, Gender, and Subcultural Experience 44

From tsotsis to gangstas: "a living record" of race and masculinity 47

Negotiating the masculine bias: gender and "the master's tools" 56

Summary 62

4 Style / Jeffrey L. Kidder Kidder, Jeffrey L. 65

The meaning of style 67

From consumption to subcultural style 69

Homology: ideology, image, and practice 74

Semiotic homologies: teddy boys, skinheads, mods, and punks 76

Ethnographic homologies: rockers, hippies, messengers, and homegirls 78

The value of style: diffusion and defusion 83

Summary 85

5 Resistance 87

Power and hegemony 89

Multiple dimensions of resistance 92

Passive ↔ active 94

Micro ↔ macro 99

Overt ↔ covert 102

Summary 105

6 Labels and Moral Panics 107

From social reaction theory to a sociology of moral panics 109

From music-lovers to satanic killers: endless cycles of subcultural folk devils 113

Raves, drugs, and postmodern media 121

Summary 124

7 Identity and Authenticity 126

Insiders and outsiders 129

Status hierarchies 133

Identity and authenticity 138

Summary 144

8 Scales 146

Sociological scales 147

Spatial scales 152

Summary 163

9 Related Fields / Elizabeth Cherry Cherry, Elizabeth 165

Social movements 165

Collective identity 171

Lifestyle politics 173

Participatory cultures and fandom 174

Parallels 177

Tensions 180

Summary 183

10 A Final Note on Concepts 185.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [194]-211) and index.

ISBN:

9780745643878

9780745643885

0745643876

0745643884

OCLC:

682281418

Publisher Number:

60001406209