First coined in the 1940s, the term "subculture" has been applied to society's most interesting, and, often, most inventive elements. Through a collection of articles written over the last 50 years, this book traces both the history of the academic study of subcultures and the history of subcultures themselves. While you'll find the usual assortment of articles on punk rock, street gangs, and Star Trek fans, what is perhaps most interesting are the articles from the early days of "subculture studies." Two of the highlights include a piece by Paul G. Cressey on 1930s taxi dancers and their opinions on race and class, and an article by Howard Becker on the language and attitudes of jazz musicians in the early '60s. The 55 selections in this volume offer a rich spectrum of subcultures and the academic responses they have evoked.


Book Description
Subcultures--from the 1950s juvenile delinquents portrayed by Elvis, James Dean and Marlon Brando to 1970s punk rockers Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten, to 90s angst-ridden Kurt Cobain and Henry Rollins, from fans of Star Trek to the current crowd of internet surfers--define themselves in opposition to society's mainstream. They also differentiate among themselves, creating hierarchies of participation, knowledge and taste. The Subcultures Reader collects the most valuable and stimulating writings on subcultures from the Chicago School to the present. It enables students and teachers to understand how subcultural studies developed, the range of work it encompasses, and future directions of study. All the articles have been specifically selected and edited for inclusion in theReader and are grouped in sections, each with an editor's introduction.


About the Author
Ken Gelder is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Melbourne. He is the author of Reading the Vampire, also available from Routledge. Sarah Thornton is Lecturer in the Department of Media Studies at the University of Sussex.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Subcultures--from the 1950s juvenile delinquents portrayed by Elvis, James Dean and Marlon Brando to 1970s punk rockers Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten, to 90s angst-ridden Kurt Cobain and Henry Rollins, from fans of Star Trek to the current crowd of internet surfers--define themselves in opposition to society's mainstream. They also differentiate among themselves, creating hierarchies of participation, knowledge and taste. The Subcultures Reader collects the most valuable and stimulating writings on subcultures from the Chicago School to the present. It enables students and teachers to understand how subcultural studies developed, the range of work it encompasses, and future directions of study. All the articles have been specifically selected and edited for inclusion in theReader and are grouped in sections, each with an editor's introduction.

FROM THE CRITICS

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