Term
| In what ways does post-subcultural theory criticize the British Tradition? |
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Definition
exclusion of women from subcultures (or their view is marginalized/trivialized)
-CCCS focused almost primarily on males. Subcultures may have predominantly been male, but there were still girls involved. Many women were busy in their families, but McRobbie & Garber argue that they still participated in subcultures within their domestic environments.
assumption that subcultures come from working class youth; they looked at subcultures from a Marxist standpoint
-CCCS focused on consumerism too much as a definition of resistance. This constrains most of the studies to looking at working-class youth, who would be struggling with a very low purchasing power.
intention
-People could be participating in subcultures for "fun" instead of as active resistance or as a method of coping.
theories are not applicable globally
-Fails to consider the local variations to music and style; treats subcultures as a methodical response to particular class strain. Does not explain why there are regional subcultures and not just one uniform "punk."
*subcultures are about consumerism
*doesn't consider media's role in creating subcultural identity
*views youth as a concrete age vs. a state of mind;
*emphasizes spectacular aspects to the detriments of the mundane aspects
-CCCS focuses on theatrical/spectacular rituals instead of the things people do day-to-day to distinguish themselves. |
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Term
| What developments account for the emergence of post-subcultural theory? In other words, how have social and cultural changes over the last 30-40 years impacted the formation of subcultures? |
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Definition
- in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, subcultures were clearly differentiated
- however, since the late 70s (and especially in the 90s and early 2000s) the lines separating subcultures from each other (and separating them the dominant culture) are being blurred through commodification |
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Term
| Do these scholars believe that the subculture concept is still useful? What alternative concepts do they offer? |
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Definition
- idea of tightly bound and specifically defined subcultures is not useful in their opinion
- their goal was to define the "space" subculture occurs in
- study the lifestyle; group individuals together based on how they make/remake their own authentic identities; fluid and temporal view
- scene: geographical subcultural space; carry out subcultural production and consumption; cohere around music and styles |
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Term
| Why do people get tattoos, and what forces shape the meanings that tattoos take? |
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Definition
| People get tattoos to express who they are, what they have lived through, how they see themselves in relation to the others in the social world. They record the struggles through which people must navigate in lived experiences. The environments people live in condition the responses to and interpretations of their tattoos and personal choices. |
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Term
| What limitations do those who acquire tattoos face? |
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Definition
| The intended meaning of a tattoo is not always the meaning that others receive, tattoos are oftentimes still viewed as markers of stigma and deviance, and tattoos do little to change social conditions |
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Term
| How do tattoos affect the way in which society thinks about gender? |
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Definition
| It challenges traditional gender roles that limit women’s identities to motherhood and marriage yet it can both defy and reproduce conventional femininity. |
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Term
| How does Kidder believe that we should approach the study of subcultural style (what influences the development of particular messenger style)? |
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Definition
We must understand style by situating it within the context of practice. We must thus enter the “life world” of our research subjects
Messenger style is best understood within the context of the urban environment in which they live and within the exigencies of their job tasks |
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Term
| What is the significance of “liminal space” for bicycle messengers? |
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Definition
| The liminal zone gives messengers the freedom to maneuver quickly through the city. They flamboyantly disregarded traffic laws, so others perceived the messengers as outlaws. They relish their liminal position, which places them outside the bounds of ordinary society, so they avoid bike lanes. |
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Term
| What is style composed of? |
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Definition
· Demeanor-One’s conduct and one’s manifested psychic disposition
· Image-The symbolic material that one uses
· Argot-The specialized idiomatic vocabulary peculiar to a particular group of people |
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Term
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Definition
- demeanor: they express their liminality and outlaw image through their riding behavior; "ride it like they stole it"; they want to convey the edge they have; they're innovative and they break laws
- image: they have a disdain for helmets (which demonstrates their skill/boldness; they think their skill will save them, not a helmet) and for spandex bike wear; they ride fixed gear bikes (they claim that they offer practical advantages because they are light weight, require little maintenance, and few components can be stolen; but, they are much more dangerous/risky); because they combine urban clothing and cycling apparel, they are bricoleurs
- argot: double rush/red hot (urgent packages), fix/fixed/fixie (bike), alleycat (race), wave (catching a series of green lights), line (the route cyclists take), civilians (non-messengers), conflation of "work" and "riding" to demonstrate commitment to identity; they integrate their work and leisure |
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Term
| How do bike messengers ride? |
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Definition
| Messengers express their liminality and outlaw image through their riding behaviors. They “ride it like they stole it” to convey “edge” that they possess to outsiders, refusing to appear timid. Alleycats-require messengers to innovate and engage in outlaw behavior. |
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Term
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Definition
| They call their bikes fixies. The claim that their bikes offer practical advantages: lightweight, little maintenance and few components can be stolen. They create more risks and require more skill/experience to ride. It reflects liminality. |
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Term
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Definition
| They have a symbolic disdain for helmets. Riding without one demonstrates their skill and experience, which they feel will protect them as they strive to confront the dangers of their jobs “head on” |
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Term
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Definition
· Double rush, red hot (urgent packages)
· Fix, fixed, fixie (track bike)
· Alleycat (race/ritual)
· Wave (catching a series of green lights)
· Line (the route cyclists take through traffic)
· Civilians (non-messengers)
· Conflation of “work” and “riding” to demonstrate commitment and identity—integration of work and leisure |
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Term
| How does Thornton’s interpretation of subculture differ from the British Tradition? |
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Definition
While Hebdige celebrated difference as dissidence, Thornton reveals how subculture creates inequality and hierarchy.
Fluid/less rigid view of subcultures |
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Term
| What is the main argument/theoretic insight of Thornton's chapter? |
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Definition
- power differentials from dominant culture are reproduced in subcultures
- study of "taste" culture rather than subculture (music, media, people with similar tastes)
- moving away from class distinctions
- interested in the internal interaction/hierarchies of subcultures |
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Term
| What is subcultural capital and what forms can it take? |
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Definition
Subcultural Capital is “the linchpin of an alternative hierarchy in which the axes of age, gender, sexuality, and race are all employed in order to keep the determinations of class, income, and occupation at bay.” It confers status the same way that it does for adults.
Forms:
Objectified
· Overt, tangible artifacts
· E.g. haircuts, carefully assembled record collections, bicycles, trendy clothing
Embodied
· Being in the know
· E.g. Knowledge of bands, news in the scene, argot, proper scene etiquette
· A premium is placed on the second nature of the knowledge (i.e. “trying too hard” will rapidly deplete embodied capital) |
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Term
| Why does the pursuit of hipness play such an important role in the lives of young people? |
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Definition
| These young people can't establish their identities/worth on the basis of economic/cultural capital; they create and develop subcultural capital or hipness. Youth use hipness to jockey for social power. |
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Term
| How young people in subcultures deal with social class? |
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Definition
| This creation of hipness/subcultural capital creates new hierarchies that are not determined by social class. Young people cannot compete for status in the adult world, so they derive self-esteem and construct a value system with the domain of leisure. Subcultures free youth from the burdens of material necessities, allowing them to escape class distinctions and enjoy freedom. |
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Term
| How does Fox construe punk ideology in “Real Punks and Pretenders?” |
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Definition
| Punks believed in the idea of an antiestablishment lifestyle. The idea that they wanted to get away from mainstream culture was ideal for this group. The way they dressed was a way for them to break apart from what society would want or expect from them. Being punk is all about commitment. |
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Term
| How does Fox define commitment? Be familiar with the hierarchy of commitment that she develops (i.e. the differences among hardcores, softcores, preppies, etc.) |
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Definition
| Fox identifies commitment as "The punks perception of committment were based principally on their evaluation of physical appearances and lifestyles". Based on this they categorized them into four different commitment levels: The hardcore punks were mostly involved in the scene, and derived the greatest amount of prestige their association with it. They set trends and standards for the rest of the members. The softcore punks were less dedicated to the antiestablishment lifestyle and to a permanent association with this counterculture, yet their degree of involvement was still high. They were greater in number and while highly respected from the less committed participants, did not occupy the same social status within the group as hardcores. The preppy punks were only minimally committed, making this the largest portion of the actual membership. They were held in the low esteem by the other two groups, following their lead but lacking the inner conviction and degree of participation necessary to be socially desired within the scene. Spectators made up the largest crowd at any event. They were not truly members of the group and did not attempt to follow the standards of those in the groups. They were merely outsiders with an interest in the punk scene. |
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Term
| What problems did I identify with the way that Fox studied commitment and authenticity? How did I suggest that we should approach the concept of authenticity instead? |
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Definition
-Said that Fox was focused more on style and behavior rather than ideological beliefs/commitments-commitment and authenticity are treated as objective properties-as ETIC rather than EMIC (ETIC:categories that researchers come up with, aren't meaningful to the subjects you are studying.) (EMIC:categories that are meaningful to the people you are studying.)
-Fox allows the "hardcore punks" to define the situation, she does not give voice to preppie or softcore punks |
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Term
| What are the tenants of the punk ideology? |
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Definition
rejection
reflexivity
self-actualization |
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Term
| What does Rejection entail? |
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Definition
a) the resistance to external socialization
b) focuses on discovering things for oneself
c) rejection of the common sense world of everyday life |
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Term
| What does Reflexivity entail? |
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Definition
a) Rejection of assumed identities
b) rejection of performance
c) Living a lifestyle that reflects one's "true self"
d) emphasis on "being" rather than "doing". |
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Term
| What does Self-Actualization entail? |
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Definition
a)a commitment to self discovery
b)question's about ones ultimate purpose in life
c)the self can take any form-there are no universal punk values. |
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Term
| Where does the punk ideology come from and what cultural conditions does it respond to? |
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Definition
| The ideology is motivated by the British Tradition. It is a a metaphysical concern with “being” vs. “doing” in relation to one’s self-concept.Wants real human contact and real communication. |
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Term
| According to my (Lewin's) article, what is the relationship between punk ideology and the dominant culture in which punk is embedded |
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Definition
Physical space, cultural space, autonomous field of cultural production
-"punk much more reflects than resists so-called mainstream culture."(Lewin and Williams-pg.68)
-"The subculture may thus be understood as one expression-albeit in a heightened and distorted form-of a "dominant" cultural tendency, not so much challenging bourgeois hegemony as articulating an already-prevalent cultural ideology."
-punk ideology involved no pre-conceived set of beliefs, values or practices; it held that people should stay true to themselves and behave accordingly.
-punks anchor their self-concepts in instincts and impulses rather than in institutional frameworks. |
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Term
| According to Williams’ study, what can we say about the relationship between consumption and authenticity? |
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Definition
Consumption influences identity/authenticity, but does not determine it
-Being a CSG Player requires both monetary and ideological/value commitments; two games in one. Companies structure the game in a way that necessitates continuous consumption |
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Term
| What are the organizational and expressive dimensions of collective gaming? |
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Definition
Organizational dimensions:The commodity-oriented organization of the CSG subculture which includes: reliance on commercially available products to construct status and cultural identities & Identity and authenticity are quantified and objectified via rankings and limited edition collectibles. Organizational dimensions also include: rules, sanctioned events, game mechanics, and subcultural meetings and markets.
Expressive dimensions: the intersubjective means through which players develop meaningful identities, values, beliefs and practices prioritized over consumption and display, emphasizes cultural identity over and above status-identity, love of the game, being friendly and fun, sharing wealth, and skill. |
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Term
| How have gamers negotiated authenticity? |
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Definition
The feelings players express about gaming, how they relate to and treat other players, the ways in which players use and share game products, and their emphasis on skills all offer counter arguments to claims that subcultural selves are reducible to consumer products.
For gamers, having a choice in how they identify with and play CSGs is key to their continued participation in the subculture. Gamers’ identities can be understood in terms of authenticity, a concept that looks beyond conspicuous consumption. Authenticity, however, is not an objectively “real” phenomenon. |
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Term
| What do “ontological insecurity” and “radical reflexivity” refer to? How do people overcome them? |
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Definition
-"ontological insecurity"- The need to impose "facticity" upon the lived world; our grip on reality has loosened-- the line between fact and fiction has blurred
-obsession with distinguishing between fact and fiction; We celebrate authenticity in order to balance the sense of dislocation that we experience |
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Term
| What kinds of feelings and behaviors do people in the modern world associate with their “real” selves? (Ralph Turner) |
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Definition
-Turner:"changes in the nature of social integration within advanced industrial societies (modern world) have caused individuals to uproot their self-conceptions from institutional frameworks and reanchor them in deeply felt impulses and emotions."
- Turner: "Late capitalism has destabilized the institutions that once provided people with opportunities to attain meaningful self-concepts through fulfillment of social duties and roles. These changes increasingly motivate people to abandon socially obligatory identities and instead turn inward in order to find and feel their "real selves" and reality more generally." |
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Term
| According to Kidder, on what is reality ultimately predicated? |
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Definition
| -Ultimately, reality is emotional and not cognitive. (emotions/impulses) |
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Term
| How do alley cat races function as rituals? Why are they important to messengers? How do they “dampen reflexivity?” |
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Definition
-Alley cat races function as rituals because they are events that only bike messengers would participate in. These races are dangerous and only those who are skilled enough and brave enough compete in such a fast, high focus of attention race. Alley cat races are rituals because they are a patterned behavior that bring together a common focus of attention, a common emotional mood, a high ecological concentration and a fast interaction race.
-These races are important to bike messengers because they produce group solidarity, feelings of morality, individual emotional energy and sense of truth with respect to ideas, statements and beliefs.
-These races "dampen reflexivity" by creating a sense of directly experienced reality. (Allan-through rituals individuals dampen reflexivity.) |
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Term
| How do punk concerts validate the identities of those in the subculture? |
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Definition
| -Punk concerts validate the identities of those is a subculture because the give those people a place to and gather with one another and not be judged. Punks transmit emotional energy to one another by exchanging non-verbal cues of affirmation and/or disapproval. Concerts force punks to interact with one another in meaningful ways. Concerts also boost self-esteem and generate euphoria between members of the subculture. |
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Term
| How do punk concerts strengthen group bonds among those who participate in the subculture? |
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Definition
| -Concerts strengthen groups bonds by presenting an element of danger and survival during a show. It also heightens emotions and causes for members in a subculture to experience "special" moments together, which draws them closer to one another. Also, the intensity of the concert experience reaffirms the meaning of the subculture and the visceral delivery of information through punk music chargers it with exceptional meaning. |
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Term
| What characteristics do successful rituals possess? |
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Definition
| -Successful rituals possess characteristics such as pain, scars and memories. They remain active in the mind and allow for people to remember them long after the ritual (concert/event) has ended. The intensity of the experience becomes deified in memory. |
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Term
| From the film: How did the Vargas house and Ren’s house contribute to the scene? |
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Definition
| -the Vargas and Ren's house were locations that bands would come and do shows. These were also places that where DIY participants could come and crash if they didn't have anywhere else to go. At one of the houses (?) the mom would not only allow shows to take place in the basement, but she would also cook for all the guests. |
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Term
| What are the different logics of cultural production that Moore discusses, and how do they differ from one another? |
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Definition
-Moore studies commercially independent media
-Heteronomous logics:commercial success, signing with a major record label, gaining status and in return losing control over your music and voice-organized according to commercial success
-Autonomous logics: gaining the respect and approval of an intimate group of artist, fans. DIY participants and their followers. |
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Term
| According to Moore’s article, how do punks engage in resistance through the use of independent cultural production?How does DIY affect the relationship between consumer/spectator and performer? |
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Definition
Participants in DIY scenes often emphasize an individualistic, anti-consumptive ethic toward cultural production and everyday living. The former prong of this ethic manifest is the creation of fan zines, recording one's own musical albums, booking one's own tours, and so forth. The DIY ethic manifests in a manifold of activities The DIY ethic manifests in a manifold of activities ranging from growing one's own food to making one's own clothing.
-Moore argued that the DIY ethos enables a public sphere among young people to develop, in which they organize themselves to express dissenting viewpoints about social issues.
-DIY enables you to create your own identities as opposed to purchasing ones that were manufactured in mass culture, DIY, also facilitates your ability to live by your own ideals as oppose to participating in a lifestyle that was inconsistent with your ideologies
-The DIY ethic was constructed through a subcultural frame of reference-built through interaction with various forms of subcultural media (song lyrics and zines-which is band commentary and a zine creates a network of people who share a common idea and since of community) and through face-to-face interaction with other punks at events as well as in more mundane settings. |
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Term
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Definition
punk and feminist ideology in one
problems that are especially pertinent to young women, especially in the white middle-class: sexual abuse and harassment, body image and eating disorders, and the decline in self-esteem that typically begins in a girl’s teen
years; These objectives and concerns—the threat of sexual violence, the need for spaces of creativity and communication, the exclusivity of male subcultures—were spelled out in one of the many manifestos |
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Term
| What are zines and how do they help to organize scenes? |
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Definition
| zines- self-published “fanzines”; usually feature interviews with musicians, countless reviews of punk records, and cheap advertising for independent record labels, thus providing a necessary economic service for bands and labels with few outlets for exposure; they confirm for their readers that there is a scene in the first place |
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Term
| How do people develop certainty? (Concerts powerpoint) |
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Definition
| We develop certainty by anchoring our beliefs and identities in intense emotional and physical experiences |
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Term
| Muscular Bonding (Concerts powerpoint) |
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Definition
-Dance and drill forge deep emotional bonds among people that generate social cohesion
-Rhythmic coordination injects life with emotional excitement
-Carnal stimulation makes individuals feel euphoric and larger than life
-Dance blurs self-awareness and heightens feelings of “oneness” |
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Term
| How do concerts strengthen subculture? |
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Definition
-The intensity of experience reaffirms the meaning of the subculture
-The visceral delivery of information through punk music charges it with exceptional meaning |
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Term
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Definition
| A metaphysical concern with “being” vs. “doing” in relation to one’s self-concept |
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Term
| How is authenticity constructed? |
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Definition
| It is a socially constructed concept negotiated through interaction. Its meaning varies over time and across space |
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Term
| Marketing and advertising techniques for authenticity |
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Definition
-“Authenticity” used as an ironic way to sell products
-Disdain for homogenous, mass-produced products
-Products now linked to notions of liberation, rebellion and the unruliness of youth
-Make appeals to emotion rather than sensibility |
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Term
| Authenticity in education |
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Definition
-Emphasis on individual development rather than common beliefs and values
-Rather than focusing on the society that we desire, it focuses on the individuals that will enter society |
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Term
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Definition
-Demand for self-taught artists
-Desire for sincere, sentimental pieces |
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Term
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Definition
-Desire to genuinely experience “foreignness”
-Disdain for watered-down, “globalized” food |
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Term
| Why do we care so much about authenticity? |
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Definition
-A morally oriented quest toward self-discovery inspired by Romantic aesthetics
-An effort to stabilize reality in the postmodern age
-The drive for authenticity challenges the sentiment that nothing is true and that everything is relative |
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Term
| The Romantics and Authenticity |
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Definition
-Exhaustion with Enlightenment ideals
-Stressed the virtues of intuition, imagination and feeling
~Rousseau’s “noble savage”
~Replaced “I think, therefore I am” with “I feel, therefore I am.” |
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Term
| How does body modification mark a youth (as a youth or as an adult)? |
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Definition
| Rather than defining one as young, they more often mark one’s passage from youth into adulthood |
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Term
| How do we construct reality? |
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Definition
-Humans actively construct reality through “world building”
-Culture provides firm structures for human life that are lacking biologically
-We establish a nomos that organizes our experience of the world in order to make sense of it
-Our nomos shelters us from existential terror |
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Term
| How has reality become unstable? |
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Definition
-Fragmentation due to advanced capitalism
-Social saturation of the subject
-Radical reflexivity
-Commodifcation |
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Term
| How did Kidder do his research on bike messengers? |
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Definition
-One year of participant observation/ethnography in New York City
-Kidder worked as a messenger, observed other messengers while working, and hung out with messengers outside of work
-Most of his data arose from informal interviews
-His analysis centers on messengers who adopt the activity/identity as a lifestyle—not those who are merely employed as messengers |
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Term
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Definition
-Socialize primarily among themselves
-Participate in alleycats
-Use bikes as their primary form of transportation
-Mostly white males as opposed to Black or Hispanic males
-Many of them have in fact left the occupation but continue to uphold the subculture’s symbolic practices |
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Term
| What is a cultural field? |
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Definition
A network of social relationships organized around a particular practice
-Relatively autonomous from the social structure at large |
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Term
|
Definition
-The CCCS’ failed to provide an account of girls’ involvement in subculture
-It equated youth consumerism with working-class resistance in an unqualified way
-Since it argued that we must situate subcultures within their socio-historical contexts to make sense of them, we cannot transpose their arguments onto other contexts
-It failed to consider the media’s role in creating subcultures and subcultural identities
-It conceptualizes youth narrowly, viewing it as a concrete age range rather than a state of mind
-It emphasized the spectacular aspects of subculture to the detriment its more mundane aspects |
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Term
| What is Post-subcultural theory? |
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Definition
The notion that distinctive, structurally grounded subcultures no longer exist
-Subcultural divisions have broken down in terms of both stylistic/identity distinctions and class, race and gender distinctions |
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Term
| Fine and Kleinman argue that subcultures are _____________ |
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Definition
| not homogenous, static and closed |
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Term
| Rituals are patterned sequences of behavior that bring together: |
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Definition
A common focus of attention
A common emotional mood
High ecological concentration
A fast interaction pace |
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Term
|
Definition
Group solidarity
Feelings of morality
Individual emotional energy
Senses of truth with respect to ideas, statements and beliefs |
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Term
| What is cultural capital? (Thornton) |
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Definition
Knowledge accumulated through one’s upbringing and education that confers social status
-Cultural hierarchies correspond to social ones
-Tastes and preferences mark one’s class position
-Generally associated with economic capital, but the two can enter into conflict with one another |
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Term
| In the film what was the significance of Saturday night kickball? |
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Definition
| it presents an alternative way to lead your life- not going to the mall to have fun; using the public space (parking lot at a strip mall) in a way that it isn’t intended to be used- not letting corporate America dictate what is appropriate for that environment. |
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Term
| From the film: How did participants view their scene as an alternative to the mainstream? |
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Definition
| economic system not based on competition but on cooperation; emphasizes friendship and community rather than individualism; not out buying stuff for leisure but creating and educating |
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Term
| What are new social movements? |
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Definition
| work for social change in their daily lives- interpret their lifestyle as a movement making a cultural challenge; non-structured; culture-based |
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Term
| How do new social movements differ from conventional movements (think specifically about the role of collective identity, personal v. social political behavior, culture v. material goals, organization v. lack of organization)? |
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Definition
| little formal organization, members do not necessarily consider themselves activists, not challenging the government or other institutions |
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Term
| How do SxEs challenge dominant culture? |
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Definition
| core values are clean living, positive attitude, resistance to social pressures, and community |
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Term
| How is SxEs similar to and different from conventional movements? |
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Definition
| emphasizes an individualistic experience and interpretation- all while joining together as a community; there are no leaders- yet informal leaders emerge at every scene; no bureaucratic/rational/legal authority- relies on charismatic leadership instead |
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Term
| How have culture and society changed over the last 30-40 years? |
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Definition
| loss of traditional communities, ascension of consumer society, people are submerged in commodified images and new knowledge, which provides infinite possibilities to form an identity but few guidelines on the right selection. |
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Term
| How have changes in society and culture in the last 30-40 years affected our senses of self and our ability to distinguish between fact and fiction? |
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Definition
| loosened grip on reality, a need to distinguish between fact and fiction. commodification and mass media leaves people with a sense of doubt, with regards to knowledge, view it as unstable. a shift from an 'institutional' locus of self to an 'impulsive' locus of self (people tying their self concepts to instincts rather than the social roles they occupy) |
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