Youth Culture
Section 1:Youth Culture and Sub-cultures
Youth defined as a separate social category from children and adults only became the subject of sociological and media interest in the 1950s.
Early theories focused on the concept of youth culture, i.e. the idea that young people in general shared a common culture and identity which set them apart from adult culture.
1. The development of youth sub-cultures
Introduction
The idea that youth subcultures are a product of social class is an argument put forward by Marxist sociologists working from the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) at Birmingham University. They argue that ‘spectacular’ youth subcultures, such as skinheads and punks, were a form of ‘magical’ resistance to the social and economic problems faced by young working class people.
However, other sociologists reject the claim that youth subcultures are a product of social class. Post-modernists, for example, reject the term ‘subculture’, and replace it with ‘neo-tribe’ to reflect the ‘pick and mix’ approach to style that young people have today. They argue that issues of gender and ethnicity are now more important than social class.
Subcultures as a product of class: Marxist arguments
During the 1970s and early 1980s, most sociological attention was paid to the concept of deviant youth 'subcultures'‑ the idea that some young people belonged to groups with their own norms, values, rituals, sanctions and dress codes that were antagonistic to mainstream culture, e.g. mods, rockers, etc.
In the 1970s, the question of class divisions within youth cultures was examined by Marxist writers especially those associated with the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS). Marxists see working‑class youth cultures as linked to the decline of working‑class inner‑city communities.
These cultures are seen as an attempt to symbolically or 'magically' re‑create traditional notions of working‑class community through
Youth defined as a separate social category from children and adults only became the subject of sociological and media interest in the 1950s.
Early theories focused on the concept of youth culture, i.e. the idea that young people in general shared a common culture and identity which set them apart from adult culture.
1. The development of youth sub-cultures
Introduction
The idea that youth subcultures are a product of social class is an argument put forward by Marxist sociologists working from the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) at Birmingham University. They argue that ‘spectacular’ youth subcultures, such as skinheads and punks, were a form of ‘magical’ resistance to the social and economic problems faced by young working class people.
However, other sociologists reject the claim that youth subcultures are a product of social class. Post-modernists, for example, reject the term ‘subculture’, and replace it with ‘neo-tribe’ to reflect the ‘pick and mix’ approach to style that young people have today. They argue that issues of gender and ethnicity are now more important than social class.
Subcultures as a product of class: Marxist arguments
During the 1970s and early 1980s, most sociological attention was paid to the concept of deviant youth 'subcultures'‑ the idea that some young people belonged to groups with their own norms, values, rituals, sanctions and dress codes that were antagonistic to mainstream culture, e.g. mods, rockers, etc.
In the 1970s, the question of class divisions within youth cultures was examined by Marxist writers especially those associated with the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS). Marxists see working‑class youth cultures as linked to the decline of working‑class inner‑city communities.
These cultures are seen as an attempt to symbolically or 'magically' re‑create traditional notions of working‑class community through