Subcultures

by Ken Gelder

This book presents a cultural history of subcultures, covering a remarkable range of subcultural forms and practices. It begins with London’s ‘Elizabethan underworld’, taking the rogue and vagabond as subcultural the basis for Marx’s later view of subcultures as the lumpenproletariat , and Henry Mayhew’s view of subcultures as ‘those that will not work’. Subcultures are always in some way non-conforming or dissenting. They are social - with their own shared conventions, values, rituals, and so on – but they can also seem ‘immersed’ or self-absorbed. This book identifies six key ways in which subcultures have generally been Subcultures looks at the way these features find expression across many different subcultural from the Ranters to the riot grrrls, from taxi dancers to drag queens and kings, from bebop to hip hop, from dandies to punk, from hobos to leatherfolk, and from hippies and bohemians to digital pirates and virtual communities. It argues that subcultural identity is primarily a matter of narrative and narration, which means that its focus is literary as well as sociological. It also argues for the idea of a subcultural geography : that subcultures inhabit places in particular ways, their investment in them being as much imaginary as real and, in some cases, strikingly utopian.

Genres: Cultural Studies

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 9, 2007

Reviews

[Felipe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very useful meta-study of academic works on and interpretations subculture, going much deeper and further back into the history than is typical.

However, don't expect to many strong stances to be taken (despite a number of critical stances regarding others' work), and don't expect much in the way of a conclusion, either. I honestly said, "wait, that's it?" when the next page was the bibliography.

Finally, it's now somewhat dated. I would absolutely LOVE an updated version.