How much impact did youth culture have on society in the years 1955-75?
How much impact did youth culture have on society in the years 1955-75?
This particular period of time was very significant in terms of general changes in society given the post war baby boom, abolition of the death penalty, improved reproduction rights for women, peaks in the number of university attendees, sexual revolution which saw strident action towards female liberation and equality, an influx of immigrants from the Caribbean and South Asia, periods of economic booms and busts and new found openness of sex, sexuality, drug use and freedom of expression in fashion and music which was largely unprecedented. The question however is, how much influence did youth culture have on these issues and what has been the impact of the changes brought about during this era.
The definition of youth is “the period between childhood and adult age” and Kenneth Keniston, leading sociologist wrote the phenomenon of youth, described youth as being a new period of life which came after adolescence but before the assumption of adult responsibilities. Over time the term has broadened to include the section of the population, some of who are adolescent, some of whom are beyond adolescence but not yet fully independent adults. Those who make up this group have broadened with the increase in higher education.
Post-war Britain experienced something of an economic boon and with a lack of workers, particularly in work which required fewer skills, the government embarked on an immigration programme from the colonies, most notably the Caribbean (predominately Jamaica) and South Asia. Concern soon started to spread about the number of “coloureds” coming into the country and this culminated in the Nottingham and Notting Hill Riots of 1958. Youth played a crucial role in the tensions of the time which lead to the riots. There were a number of orchestrated attacks by white youths, fascists and Teddy Boys on black youth and a black youth, Kelsom Cochran was attacked and killed in Notting
This particular period of time was very significant in terms of general changes in society given the post war baby boom, abolition of the death penalty, improved reproduction rights for women, peaks in the number of university attendees, sexual revolution which saw strident action towards female liberation and equality, an influx of immigrants from the Caribbean and South Asia, periods of economic booms and busts and new found openness of sex, sexuality, drug use and freedom of expression in fashion and music which was largely unprecedented. The question however is, how much influence did youth culture have on these issues and what has been the impact of the changes brought about during this era.
The definition of youth is “the period between childhood and adult age” and Kenneth Keniston, leading sociologist wrote the phenomenon of youth, described youth as being a new period of life which came after adolescence but before the assumption of adult responsibilities. Over time the term has broadened to include the section of the population, some of who are adolescent, some of whom are beyond adolescence but not yet fully independent adults. Those who make up this group have broadened with the increase in higher education.
Post-war Britain experienced something of an economic boon and with a lack of workers, particularly in work which required fewer skills, the government embarked on an immigration programme from the colonies, most notably the Caribbean (predominately Jamaica) and South Asia. Concern soon started to spread about the number of “coloureds” coming into the country and this culminated in the Nottingham and Notting Hill Riots of 1958. Youth played a crucial role in the tensions of the time which lead to the riots. There were a number of orchestrated attacks by white youths, fascists and Teddy Boys on black youth and a black youth, Kelsom Cochran was attacked and killed in Notting