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Subcultures of the 20th century
student
Slavica Vukajlovi
professor
Duan Ivanovi
Graduation work
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Subcultures of the 20th century
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What is a subculture?
Subculture = a social group with particularbehaviors or beliefs
Centered around: music, sports, literature,religion OR political, social or geographical factors
Membership signaled through a distinctive andsymbolic use of style e.g. fashion, behavior,mannerisms
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DefinitionDefinition
subcultures emerge when the larger
culture fails to meet peoples needs- for
example, to provide resources or
meanings so that some people find fault
with the culture and form their own
identity-granting communities ofmeanings
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Why do people join subcultures?
Group problem solving mechanism
Seek conformity/ dependence on fellows
Dissatisfaction with the dominant culture, looking for
further meaning Status
Subculture represents a new status system by sanctioning
behavior tabooed or frowned upon by the larger society;the acquisition of status within the new group isaccompanied by a loss of status outside the group(Cohen, 1955 p.57)
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Identification
Members of a subculture often signal their
membership by making distinctive and
symbolic tangible choices in clothing andfashion.
Intangible elements, such as common
interests, slang, music genres and gathering
places can also be an important factor
Pressures towards conformity
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Some of the most popular:
Punk
Rave
Gamer Emo
Queer
Hippie
Skin Head Metalhead
Hip-hop
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Subculture Vs Counterculture
Subculture" A separate culture existing within the mainstream culture.
A group of people with distinguishing characteristics, but whoconsider themselves part of the general culture.
They arent always opposed to dominant culture and may workbest within the mainstream
It is specialised, having idiosyncratic views on aesthetics, politics orthe way life should be lived.
Counterculture"
An active working against the mainstream culture.
A group of people who explicitly reject the values of the culturearound them.
They often differing from mainstream society in terms ofaesthetics, politics, social beliefs and structures.
It has to be large enough to act as a genuine foil to the dominantculture
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Rave
The word 'Rave' was a term used for big, oftenunlicensed dance events, usually undergroundparties in abandoned warehouses, fields and clubs
The underground rave scene began in Chicago in theearly 80s and thus the new electronic music genre
Acid house was born!
By 1987 acid house had reached the UK
Along with breakthrough of a new sound came with it
a new party drug. MDMA or better known as ecstasyis an amphetamine, psycho-active drug. legalised events, parties and club nights
have made it possible for rave to continue
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Metalhead
Fans of heavy metal music subculture which
encompasses more than just appreciation of
the style of music.
Affirmation of their membership in the
subculture or scene by attending metal
concerts, buying albums, growing their hair
Corna devils hors, metal fist Moshpits
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Gamers
Externally regarded as antisocial
Internally- a community- gaming is more
of a sport in which you use your brain,learn tactics, team work and problemsolving
Would not exist without newmedia/communications technology-internet = a valuable connection
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Emo / Scene
Largely regarded as bleak and morbid.
Number of sub-subcultures
hXc
Straight Edge (sXe)
Screamo Massive focus on Music.
Music knowledge = respect
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Hip Hop
Cultural movement
Developed in New York City - 1970s.
Primarily Black and Latino Americans.
The five pillars of hip-hop culture are:
MCing, DJing, breaking, graffiti writing, andknowledge.
Breaking" - gained momentum as a style ofperformance and dancing- became part of thelexicon of hip hop culture.
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Media, Technology and Culture
Media - important in transferring information
Subcultures used traditional media to propagate ideas
When the internet entered the mainstream - forums and fan sites quicklybecame home to subcultures of all descriptions
It's a valuable connection for people to get in touch with like-mindedpeople and develop or strengthen social connections online, rather thanface to face.
Subcultures that originated offline have migrated to the virtual world.
The growth of file-sharing (EG video/audio) websites and increased accessto high-speed web connections laid the foundations for online cultures, andother social networks now all play host to thriving communities too.
Many websites spring up to feed the interest in the different cultures, some
attempting to document or define it, others providing members of thesesubcultures with ways to express their affiliation.
Discussions centre around the clothes to wear, the mannerisms to adoptand what as a part of the specific subculture you should love or hate.
Provides a forum free of traditional censorship
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Music - Signifier or Unifier?
According to Simon Frith (1996), music is
an essential component of many
contemporary youth cultures.
not how a particular piece of music
reflects the people,
but how it produces them
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Subculture Stereotype
A stereotype by definition is a positive or negative set ofbeliefs held by an individual about the characteristics of agroup of people. It varies in its accuracy, the extent to
which the stereotyped group members possess thesetraits, and the extent to which the set of beliefs is sharedby others.
Stereotypes have a degree of truth and an element ofsocial recognition
Media plays a significant role in the stereotyping ofsubcultures as it can be a powerful tool in creating
or reinforcing stereotypes
Culture also plays a role in the development ofstereotypes
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Hierarchies
Hierarchies tend to form in most aspects of society.With regards to subcultures, although hierarchies arecertainly present, they are present in some
subcultures more than others.
E.g Hierarchies of gamers differ from hierarchies ofRave subculture
In terms of social class, it is known that generallysubcultures are made up of people from workingclass society. These are people that are looking forsomething that is missing in their lives
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References
Cohen, K Albert. 1955, A General Theory of Subcultures, The Subcultures Reader,2nd
ed, Abingdon, Oxon, pp50-59.
Holme, P & Gronlund, A. 2005, Modeling the Dynamics of Youth Subcultures,JournalofArtificial Societies and Social Simulation, Vol 8, Iss 3
Langman, L & Halnon, K.2005, Globalization and the Grotesque, pp269-279 in CriticalGlobalization Studies, edited by Richard Applebalm and WilliamRobinson.London.Routledge.
Hedige D Subculture, The Meaning of Style Universty of Chicago Press 1979
M Brake - The sociology of youth culture and youth subcultures: Sex and drugsand rock'n'roll 1980
J. Firth Subcultures, Journal of Contemporary Ethnography Volume 12 1999
Fantazia Rave Archive, Acid House Music: The Timeline,www.fantazia.org.uk/scene/themusic.htm