Subculture
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A subculture is a group of people within a
Definitions
The Oxford English Dictionary defines subculture, in regards to sociological and cultural anthropology, as "an identifiable subgroup within a society or group of people, esp. one characterized by beliefs or interests at variance with those of the larger group; the distinctive ideas, practices, or way of life of such a subgroup."[2]
As early as 1950,
In 1995, Sarah Thornton, drawing on Pierre Bourdieu, described "subcultural capital" as the cultural knowledge and commodities acquired by members of a subculture, raising their status and helping differentiate themselves from members of other groups.[5] In 2007, Ken Gelder proposed to distinguish subcultures from countercultures based on the level of immersion in society.[6] Gelder further proposed six key ways in which subcultures can be identified through their:
- often negative relations to work (as 'idle', 'parasitic', at play or at leisure, etc.);
- negative or ambivalent relation to class (since subcultures are not 'class-conscious' and do not conform to traditional class definitions);
- association with territory (the 'street', the 'hood', the club, etc.), rather than property;
- movement out of the home and into non-domestic forms of belonging (i.e. social groups other than the family);
- stylistic ties to excess and exaggeration (with some exceptions);
- refusal of the banalities of ordinary life and massification.[6]
Sociologists Gary Alan Fine and Sherryl Kleinman argued that their 1979 research showed that a subculture is a group that serves to motivate a potential member to adopt the artifacts, behaviors, norms, and values characteristic of the group.[7]
History of studies
The evolution of subcultural studies has three main steps:[8]
Subcultures and deviance
The earliest sociological studies on subcultures came from the so-called
Subcultures, however, are not only the result of alternative action strategies but also of labelling processes on the basis of which, as
Subcultures and resistance
In the work of John Clarke,
As
Subcultures and distinction
The most recent interpretations see subcultures as forms of distinction. In an attempt to overcome the idea of subcultures as forms of deviance or resistance, they describe subcultures as collectivities which, on a cultural level, are sufficiently homogeneous internally and heterogeneous with respect to the outside world to be capable of developing, as Paul Hodkinson points out, consistent distinctiveness, identity, commitment and autonomy. Defined by Sarah Thornton as taste cultures, subcultures are endowed with elastic, porous borders, and are inserted into relationships of interaction and mingling, rather than independence and conflict, with the cultural industry and mass media, as Steve Redhead and David Muggleton emphasize. The very idea of a unique, internally homogeneous, dominant culture is explicitly criticized. Thus forms of individual involvement in subcultures are fluid and gradual, differentiated according to each actor's investment, outside clear dichotomies. The ideas of different levels of subcultural capital (Sarah Thornton) possessed by each individual, of the supermarket of style (Ted Polhemus) and of style surfing (Martina Böse) replace that of the subculture's insiders and outsiders – with the perspective of subcultures supplying resources for the construction of new identities going beyond strong, lasting identifications.
Identifying
The study of subcultures often consists of the study of symbolism attached to
Subcultures can exist at all levels of organizations, highlighting the fact that there are multiple cultures or value combinations usually evident in any one organization that can complement but also compete with the overall organisational culture.[13] In some instances, subcultures have been legislated against, and their activities regulated or curtailed.[14] British youth subcultures had been described as a moral problem that ought to be handled by the guardians of the dominant culture within the post-war consensus.[14]
Relationships with mainstream culture
It may be difficult to identify certain subcultures because their style (particularly clothing and music) may be adopted by mass culture for commercial purposes. Businesses often seek to capitalize on the subversive allure of subcultures in search of Cool, which remains valuable in the selling of any product.[15] This process of cultural appropriation may often result in the death or evolution of the subculture, as its members adopt new styles that appear alien to mainstream society.[16]
Music-based subcultures are particularly vulnerable to this process; what may be considered subcultures at one stage in their histories – such as
Like Duchamp's 'ready mades' - manufactured objects which qualified as art because he chose to call them such, the most unremarkable and inappropriate items - a pin, a plastic clothes peg, a television component, a razor blade, a tampon - could be brought within the province of punk (un)fashion ... Objects borrowed from the most sordid of contexts found a place in punks' ensembles; lavatory chains were draped in graceful arcs across chests in plastic bin liners. Safety pins were taken out of their domestic 'utility' context and worn as gruesome ornaments through the cheek, ear or lip ... fragments of school uniform (white bri-nylon shirts, school ties) were symbolically defiled (the shirts covered in graffiti, or fake blood; the ties left undone) and juxtaposed against leather drains or shocking pink mohair tops.[19]
Urban tribes
In 1985, French sociologist
Sexual and gender identity-based subcultures
The sexual revolution of the 1960s led to a countercultural rejection of the established sexual and gender norms in the Western world, particularly in the urban areas of Europe, North and South America, Australia, and white South Africa. A more permissive social environment in these areas led to a proliferation of sexual subcultures—cultural expressions of non-normative sexuality. As with other subcultures, sexual subcultures adopted certain styles of fashion and gestures to distinguish themselves from mainstream Western culture.[29]
Aspects of sexual subcultures can vary along other cultural lines. For instance, in the United States, down-low is a slang term specifically used within the African-American community[30] to refer to Black men who usually identify as heterosexual but actively seek sexual encounters and relations with other men, practice gay cruising, and frequently adopt a specific hip-hop attire during these activities.[29][31] They avoid sharing this information even if they have female sexual partner(s), they are married to a woman, or they are single.[32][33][34][35]
Social media
In a 2011 study, Brady Robards and Andy Bennett said that online identity expression has been interpreted as exhibiting subcultural qualities. However, they argue it is more in line with
Subcultures can be and have been successfully targeted by firms commercially. A stream of academic research in consumer culture shows the multiple ways in which companies and firms target subcultures with commercial offerings.[37][38]
Discrimination
See also
- Alternative lifestyle
- Art world
- Brandalism
- Culture
- Cultural identity
- Culture jamming
- Far-right subcultures
- Folk culture
- Heterosociality
- High culture
- History of Western subcultures in the 20th century
- Intercultural competence
- List of subcultures
- Low culture
- Neotribalism
- Popular culture
- Subcultural theory
- Underclass
- Underground culture
- Urban culture
- Urban sociology
- Youth subculture
- Rainbow Family
References
Citations
- ^ "What Is Subculture? – Theories, Definition & Examples – Video & Lesson Transcript". Study.com. Retrieved 2017-09-08.
- ^ "subculture". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ Middleton 1990
- ^ Hebdige, Dick (1979). "Subculture: the meaning of style" (PDF).
- ^ Thornton 1995
- ^ a b Gelder 2007
- S2CID 144955053.
- ^ Berzano L., Genova C., Lifestyles and Subcultures. History and a New Perspective, Routledge, London, 2015 (part II)
- ^ Nwalozie, Chijioke J. (2015). "Rethinking Subcultures and Subculture Theory in the Study of Youth Crime _ A theoretical Discourse" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-23. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
- ^ Newburn, T. & Proquest, 2017. Criminology Third., Ann Arbor, Mich.]: ProQuest. pp. 210
- ISBN 9781137303806.
- ^ Hebdige 1981
- ^ Anheier, Helmut K., Stefan Toepler and Regina List, eds., International Encyclopedia of Civil Society, (Springer, 2010)
- ^ a b Hall, Stuart, Tony Jefferson, Resistance Through Rituals: Youth Subcultures in Post-War Britain (Routledge, 1993).
- ^ Howes, David. Cross-cultural consumption: global markets, local realities. New York: Routledge, 1996. Print.
- ^ Goldstein-Gidoni, Ofra. "Producers of 'Japan' in Israel: Cultural appropriation in a non-colonial context." Ethnos:Journal of Anthropology 68.3 (2003): 365. Print.
- ^ Blair, M. Elizabeth, "Commercialization of Rap Music Youth Subculture." Journal of Popular Culture 27.3 (1993): 21-33. Print.
- ^ Lewin, Phillip, J. Patrick Williams. "Reconceptualizing Punk through Ideology and Authenticity". Conference Papers--American Sociological Association. 2007 Annual Meeting, 2007.
- ^ Dick Hebdige p.106-12
- .
- ISBN 080398474X.
- ^ "'Urban tribes' thriving in modern society". Archived from the original on 2017-09-08. Retrieved 2017-09-08.
- ^ Maffesoli 1996
- S2CID 167613824.
- S2CID 216399732.
- ^ Goicichea, Julia (August 16, 2017). "Why New York City Is a Major Destination for LGBT Travelers". The Culture Trip. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- ^ Rosenberg, Eli (June 24, 2016). "Stonewall Inn Named National Monument, a First for the Gay Rights Movement". The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
- ^ "Workforce Diversity The Stonewall Inn, National Historic Landmark National Register Number: 99000562". National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
- ^ OCLC 922889305.
- ISBN 978-0-304-36636-1. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
down low n. [1990s+] (US Black) a state of secrecy. down low adj. [1990s+] () covert, secret (i.e. keeping a low profile)
- S2CID 40119540.
- ^ King, J.L.; Courtney Carreras (April 25, 2006). "Coming Up from the Down Low: The Journey to Acceptance, Healing and Honest Love". Three Rivers Press. p. 36. Retrieved 2009-12-18.
- ^ Johnson, Jason (1 May 2005). "Secret gay encounters of black men could be raising women's infection rate". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2009-12-18.
- ISBN 978-0-415-97687-9. Retrieved 2009-12-18.
- ^ Bennett, Jessica (May 19, 2008). "Outing Hip-Hop". Newsweek. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
- ^ Laurent Francois @lilzeon (2013-05-25). "Subcultures: Big Opportunity for Social Brands to Generate Value". Social Media Today. Retrieved 2017-10-19.
- S2CID 219027435.
- doi:10.1086/209434. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
- ^ a b Rasheed, Ahmed; Ameer, Mohammed (10 March 2012). "Iraq militia stone youths to death for "emo" style". Reuters. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Iraqi 'emo' youths reportedly killed by conservative militias". BBC News. 11 March 2012. Archived from the original on 18 June 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ a b Sedgwick, Mark (4 April 2013). "How are goths and emos defined?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
- ^ a b "Attacks on goths, punks, and emos are 'hate crimes'". Channel 4 News. 4 April 2013. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
Sources
- Cante, Richard C. (March 2009). Gay Men and the Forms of Contemporary US Culture. London, England: Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7546-7230-2.
- Gelder, Ken (2007). Subcultures: Cultural Histories and Social Practice (Routledge, March 2007; softcover ISBN 0-415-37952-0)
- ISBN 0-8195-6310-2.
- Huq, Rupa (2006) 'Beyond subculture' (Routledge, 2006; softcover ISBN 0-415-27814-7)
- Maffesoli, Michel (1996). The Time of the Tribes: The Decline of Individualism in Mass Society. (London: Sage Publications. ISBN 0-8039-8474-X)
- McKay, George (1996) Senseless Acts of Beauty: Cultures of Resistance since the Sixties. (London: Verso. ISBN 1-85984-028-0.)
- McKay, George (2005) Circular Breathing: The Cultural Politics of Jazz in Britain. Durham NC: Duke University Press. ISBN 0-8223-3573-5.
- ISBN 0-335-15275-9.
- Thornton, Sarah (1995). Club Cultures: Music, Media, and Subcultural Capital. Cambridge: Polity Press. Cited in Negus, Keith (1996). Popular Music in Theory: An Introduction. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 0-8195-6310-2.
- Watters, Ethan (2003). Urban Tribes: A Generation Redefines Friendship, Family, and Commitment. ISBN 1-58234-264-4.
- Hall, Stuart, Tony Jefferson (1993). Resistance Through Rituals: Youth Subcultures in Post-War Britain. Routledge, 1993.
- Blair, M. Elizabeth (December 1993). "Commercialization of the Rap Music Youth Subculture". The Journal of Popular Culture. 27 (3): 21–33. ProQuest 195356599.
- Goldstein-Gidoni, Ofra. "Producers of 'Japan' in Israel: Cultural appropriation in a non-colonial context." Ethnos:Journal of Anthropology 68.3 (2003): 365. Print.
- Lewin, Phillip, J. Patrick Williams. "Reconceptualizing Punk through Ideology and Authenticity". Conference Papers—American Sociological Association. 2007 Conference Papers, 2007.
- Howes, David. Cross-cultural consumption: global markets, local realities. New York: Routledge, 1996. Print.
- Fine, Gary Alan; Kleinman, Sherryl (July 1979). "Rethinking Subculture: An Interactionist Analysis". American Journal of Sociology. 85 (1): 1–20. S2CID 144955053.
- Francois, L. (2013, May 25). Subcultures: Big Opportunity for Social Brands to Generate Value. Retrieved November 24, 2014, from http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/subcultures-big-opportunity-social-brands-generate-value
- Huntington, S. (2014, March 24). Subcultures and Social Media: Mass Differentiation. Retrieved November 24, 2014, from http://socialmediadata.com/subcultures-and-social-media-mass-differentiation/
- Robards, Brady; Bennett, Andy (1 April 2011). "MyTribe: Post-subcultural Manifestations of Belonging on Social Network Sites". Sociology. 45 (2): 303–317. S2CID 146711846.
- Беляев, И. А. Культура, субкультура, контркультура / И. А. Беляев, Н. А. Беляева // Духовность и государственность. Сборник научных статей. Выпуск 3; под ред. И. А. Беляева. — Оренбург: Филиал УрАГС в г. Оренбурге, 2002. — С. 5–18.
- Berzano, L., Genova, C. (2015). Lifestyles and Subcultures. History and a New Perspective. New York, NY: Routledge.
External links
- Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Economy 126-98/5ย้าย126/2ตอนนี้แม่อยู่ไหนลูกก็อยู่นั้น563013ทะเบียนเล่ม
- Key youth subcultures from Lenin to our day
- Subcultures: Big Opportunities for Social Brands to Generate Value
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