Lecture 7 : Drugs, Culture & Normalisation Flashcards
What does Subcultural Theory focus on?
Understanding a group that is different from the mainstream with its own cultural solutions.
How is subculture used in understanding?
‘learned problem solutions’
What type of theory is subculture considered to be?
An intermediate theory – not macro, not micro, but between grand narrative and everyday life.
Who are the key figures associated with The Chicago School?
Robert Park and Ernest Burgess (1913 onwards).
What was the wider context considered by The Chicago School in their studies?
Prohibition
What aspects of people’s lives were The Chicago School interested in?
People’s lived experiences, cultural differences, and the subjective meaning of action.
What does Strain Theory (Merton) emphasize as a factor in deviance?
Social class, and that any movement away from the set pattern could be labeled as deviant.
How was the consumption of illicit substances interpreted by The Chicago School?
expression of the person’s social position in society
According to Functionalist sociologists like Cohen, Cloward, and Ohlin, how are young people who refuse to adapt to mainstream norms categorized?
As deviant outsiders.
How was the concept of ‘subculture’ used by Functionalist sociologists?
describe ‘bad’ or dysfunctional parts of society including drug use
How were drugs perceived in the context of society?
As a threat to the equilibrium of society.
What did British Subcultural Theory aim to disentangle?
‘Subculture’ from ‘delinquency’.
According to Phil Cohen (1972), what do working-class young people attempt through their subcultural practices?
To resolve ideological contradictions hidden or unresolved in the parent culture
To which social class do youth subcultures belong, and from what are they derived?
Working class; derived from the experience of subordination.
What is the significance of style in subcultures?
Styles are imbued with hidden meanings within subcultures.
What role does resistance play in subcultures?
Subcultures are a form of resistance against dominant forces and offer autonomy for subordinated individuals.
What are bricolage and homology in the context of subcultures?
Everyday objects are appropriated for alternative purposes, and there is a consistency to the material practices of subcultural groups.
What is Paul Willis’s criticism of subcultural theory?
Questions what subculture is ‘sub’ to and argues there’s a lack of evidence that subcultural norms directly oppose mainstream culture.
What is Shane Blackman’s criticism of the concept of subcultural theory?
It risks homogenizing young people.
What is Sarah Thornton’s criticism regarding the influence of social class in subcultural theory?
There’s an over-emphasis on social class in determining people’s actions and interactions.
What are Neo-Tribes proposed as an alternative to?
Subcultures.
What do Post-Subcultural Theories emphasize instead of social class?
Social relations and interactions.
What characterizes the fluidity of Neo-Tribes?
Young people tend to move between social groups rather than rigidly belonging to one group or subculture.
What does multiplicity mean in the context of Neo-Tribes?
Young people can belong to more than one group and have more than one set of identity characteristics.
What aspects are emphasized in Neo-Tribes?
Consumption, choice, lifestyle, and individualism.
What do Neo-Tribes offer to young people?
A temporary escape from everyday life and stresses.
What are the goals of Neo-Tribes?
Hedonism, pleasure, and passion, rather than responsibility.
How are legitimate and illegitimate behaviors defined according to Cultural Criminology?
By powerful social norms.
What are the key features of sub-cultural capital according to Thornton?
In-group hierarchies (those who are ‘cool’ and those who aren’t)
Authenticity
Distance from mainstream culture
What is the job of a criminologist in Cultural Criminology?
To understand the diverse meanings different people hold about crime and deviance (including drug use).
What is the general trend in the use of at least one substance over the five years?
There is an increase in the percentage of people using at least one substance over the five years.
What is the general trend in the lifetime prevalence of illicit drug taking over the five years?
There is an increase in the percentage of people who have taken at least one illicit drug over their lifetime.
How has drug use changed according to Drug Normalisation Theory?
Drug use is no longer an activity carried out by ‘deviant’ or subcultural groups but has become familiar across youth culture more widely.
What has changed about the availability of drugs for young people?
Drugs are more widely available for young people.
How does drug use fit into young people’s lives according to Drug Normalisation Theory?
It fits into young people’s leisure activities and sits alongside other non-substance-related hobbies and activities.
How has the social acceptability of recreational drug use changed among young people?
It has become more socially acceptable by young people’s standards.
Which theories does Drug Normalisation align with more closely?
Post-subcultural theories rather than subcultural theories.
What do Measham and Shiner (2009) argue about dismissing social structure?
Dismissing social structure is incorrect; structures may look different but are still there and influence young people.
What do Measham and Shiner (2009) say about the emphasis in the theory?
Too much emphasis is placed on rationality and choice.
How was the theory used by prohibitionists, according to Measham and Shiner (2009)?
To argue for a more punitive approach to policing drug use, which hadn’t been the authors’ intention.
