Marxist Theories Of Youth Subcultures

Question 1

Resistance

Answer 1

Hall and Jefferson

• argues that youth subcultures can reject and resist the dominant capitalist culture (e.g Teddy Boys acted deviantly and broke many social norms and values)
• argue that youth subcultures may resist against what is known as the ‘crisis of capitalism’ - high unemployment, low wages, inner city decline and racist oppression by means of resistance.

Question 2

Magical solution

Answer 2

Brake

• subcultures can allow experimentation, freedom and optimism that things could change.
• suggests that membership to subcultures can provide youths with a ‘magical solution’ against their social and economic problems

Question 3

CCCS

Answer 3

• pioneered work about youth subcultures in the late 70s
• came from a Neo Marxist approach- saw social class as crucial to explaining youth culture.
• developed an explanation for explaining youth culture from working class
• based around work of ‘Hall and jefferson’, ‘Brake’, ‘Cohen’ and Hebdige’
• most research will use the work of CCCS as a starting point or react against their analysis

Question 4

Exaggeration

Answer 4

Clarke
- believed that youth subcultures did not offer magical solutions to problems of working class youths under capitalism but an 'imaginary solution' to social problems by gaining status, protecting territory and recreating community (thought they could make a change but in reality they couldn't)

Hebdige and Cohen
- argue that Mods exaggerated their style and leisure activities to resist the boredom of their working class lives (taking drugs, partying, fighting)