Paper 1 Section B Flashcards
What is a subculture
A culture within a culture
Have distinct norms and values
What do youth subcultures stand out in terms of:
Style
Dress
Music taste
Attitudes
What does spectacular youth subculture mean and examples
Highly visible subcultures who had flamboyant styles and confrontational attitudes
Examples: teddy boys, mods, punks, rockers, skinheads
Where were spectacular subcultures studied
Birmingham university
Who were the teddy boys
Came about in 1950s
They were excluded from wealth and had not done very well at school or only had dead end futures to look forward to
Hung around local cafes
What did the teddy boys wear
Wore Edwardian style, brightly coloured jackets which symbolised they were trying to be like their middle class superiors, suede shoes and bootlace ties as they tried to represent cowboys who were their cool role models
Who are the skinheads
Their attitude was macho, aggressive and racist
Argued that they felt their working class identity was under threat to poor economic conditions
Linked to football hooliganism
What do the skinheads wear
Extreme version of manual workers clothes:
Rolled up jeans, braces and big boots
Who are the mods
Usually working class
Not overly macho
Drove Vespas or lambrettas
Influenced by music such as soul and rhythm and blues- bands such as The Jam
What did the mods wear
Italian suits, fishtail parkers and Fred Perry polos
Who are the punks
They emerged as a resistance against the media and fashion industries which often told youths how to be
Had political elements with bands such as The sex pistols singing about poverty
What did the punks wear
Used ordinary objects and put them together is a new way
E.g wear ripped clothing, piercing bodies with safety pins, bin liners became tops, bondage and fetish clothes were worn as everyday items
Hair was coloured and shaped in extreme ways
Who are the rockers
Came about in 1960s
Rode round on motorbikes listening to rock and roll music- referred to as ‘biker culture’
Often unskilled, manual labourers
What did the rockers wear
Black leather jackets, jeans and boots
What does functionalists believe will happen if someone is not socially integrated into society
They will feel isolated and anomie will occur
How can anomie be shown in society
Through riots and chaos in society
Parsons believes youth emerged because of what
The development of capitalism
What does parsons say is important about the youth stage
It is an important stage during a stressful time where individuals must learn to leave the security of the family and become independent
How do youths become independent from their parents
Getting part time jobs, spending more time away from the family
What skills do youths develop
Money management
Responsibility
What is the rite of passage
Parsons sees youth culture as a rite of passage that individuals must go through between childhood and adulthood
How does functionalist Eisenstadt see youth culture
As a way of bringing young people into society
What can youth provide according to Eisenstaedt
Provide a safe outlet for the tensions that childhood to adulthood brings
Why is this period seen as a period of rebellion
Put down to hormones and functionalists say it is them pushing the boundaries to learn what is right and wrong
Why does Abram’s say youth culture was created by the media
The media and businesses target youths as they have more spending power due to part time jobs and not having to pay bills
Criticisms of the functionalist view on how youth subcultures form
They did not account for individual subcultural differences between youths
Social class, race and gender are not considered by functionalists
Neo Marxists focused on impact of social class
Feminists consider gender differences
Most functionalists evidence comes from white, middle class Americans so their evidence is ethnocentric
What do Mcrobbie and Garber argue
That girls were absent from research and when they were present it was reinforcing stereotypical views of girls
What gender were many of the researchers on youth subcultures
Male meaning they have developed a rapport with their male subjects and found it harder to relate to teenage girls
What do Mcrobbie and Garber argue about girls friendship groups
That they are often very tight knit groups
Criticisms of feminist views on how youth subcultures form
Postmodernists have developed, meaning gender is less significant and many current subcultures do not have any clear gender distinctions
What do neo Marxists focus on
Focus on the social class and the economic situation faced by young people
What were the social issues facing working class youths
High unemployment and racial tensions
The CCCS said subcultures can be seen as a form of what
Resistance against the ruling class and the poor economic situation
Criticisms of Marxists/neo Marxists on how youth subcultures form
Marxists were finding meanings that did not exist
Feminists challenge CCCS for ignoring girls
Middle class also had subcultures e.g hippies
Majority of youth do not belong to youth subcultures
What do postmodernists argue about youth subculture
That youth subculture has become increasingly fragmented and divided
They say youth is more fluid and changeable
Who was the research done by for club cultures (postmodernist view)
Research done by MIPs
How does club cultures link to postmodernism
There are no clear gender, class or ethnic differences between the clubbers
What does Redhead state about club cultures
Subcultures are formed within the media and the media drives subcultures
Who used the term Neo tribe instead of subculture
Maffesoli
What does Neo tribe mean
Refers to more loosely organised grouping with no fixed membership
He argues young people ‘flit’ from tribe to tribe, dabbling in different aspects of clothing and music
What did Bennet find in regards to Neo tribes
That Neo tribes are based around fashion, music and lifestyle but with no shared values
Who writes about the supermarket of style
Polhemus
What is the supermarket of style
Youth create identities by picking and mixing from various cultures, fashions, lifestyles and music
What does Polhemus argue about commitment to youth subcultures
Commitment to one style isn’t very common and young people are reluctant to give themselves labels and restrict their choices
Criticisms of postmodernists view on formation of youth subcultures
There are still some distinct youth subcultures who have clear style and music tastes e.g goths and emos
Young members belong to Neo tribes or are they just having a good time?
Are neo tribes actually artificial and media driven?
What did Clarke argue in regards to subcultures related to social class
Clarke argued that skinhead culture was an exaggerated version of working class masculinity
They wore manual workers clothes and were macho and racist
Clarke argued that they felt their working class identity under threat, so exaggerated it as a form of resistance
What did Jefferson study in regards to subcultures relating to social class
Jefferson studied teddy boys who were often excluded from general affluence after not doing well in school
Jefferson argued their jackets symbolised them trying to be like their middle class superiors
What term did Hebdige used in regards to subcultures related to social class
Bricolage to describe punk culture referring to punk reuse of ordinary objects in a new way e.g piercings with safety pins and bing bags as tops
Hebdige stated punk culture emerged as a resistance against the dominance of mainstream media and fashion industries which were telling youths how to be
What were the CCCS outcome of their study
Not that positive
What did Brake (took part in CCCS study) argue
That these solutions (forming of spectacular subcultures) were magic symbolic solutions rather than practical
What concept did Hebdige used to describe how rebellious styles are often taken over by the media and fashion industries
Incorporation
Therefore punk clothes lost their edge as they found their way into the high street stores
How does Thornton challenge the ideas of the CCCS ands the significance of social class as an enemy of youth subculture
Argues that youths are exempt from adult financial commitments e.g bills, therefore the vast majority from whatever class enjoy a disposable income and a short period of freedom from adult responsibilities
She argues that all but they very poorest can take part in club culture and have money to spend on themselves for their own enjoyment
What does Thornton say in regards to subcultures relating to gender
Points out girls used to have less disposable income, married earlier and earns less than males
Girls invested more time into doing well at school while boys invested more energy into going out- this led to a subcultural capital and girls accepted their lack of subcultural capital
Things associated with girls is often seen as less important
What does Mcrobbie say in regards to subcultures relating to gender
Considers change in magazines for teenage girls, which shifted from romance to self confident sexuality- girls laughed and critiqued them
Consider Steph intersection of gender with ethnicity and black raga girls danced in a sexually explicit way to sexist music- allows girls to reclaim their sexuality by challenging the music
What does Reddington argue in regards to subcultures relating to gender
There have been active females e.g Vivienne Westwood who was influential in punk subculture
Points out punks involved females from the beginning based on its equal ethos
However even within punk, females were not taken seriously referred to as lunettes and judged on physical appearance much more than men
Why were Mcrobbie and Garber critical of CCCS
For ignoring women
What did Mcrobbie and Garber say in regards to subcultures relating to gender
Argue girls weer still restricted at the time (50s) by expectations of marriage, less freedom and stricter social control
Used the term bedroom culture to describe that girls would get together and try makeup, hair and gossip- this could be seen as a form of resistance as girls anxieties led to very tight knit groups
This show the invisibility of girls in subcultures as they spend time with friends in hoisted rather than on the streets
Changing roles for females in subcultures
In US female subcultures such as riot grrrls had very strong female identities
Girls today are less restricted and spend more time in public spaces
Binge drinking and pub culture see equal amounts of both genders
Holland study of nightlife in Newcastle shows bedroom culture was a thing of the past as there has been a dramatic increase in amount of women in the city
Bennet argued Neo tribes are less gendered
What are examples of ethnic minorities in the UK
Rastafarian’s
Brasians
What are the Rastafarian’s associated with
Jamaican culture, reggae music, dreadlocks, wear red gold and green, smoking marijuana
How does Hebdige see Rastafarian’s as resistance to white culture
Due to roots in relations of slavery
Why did Rastafarian’s move to Britain
Offered them a positive identity
What is the brasian culture a fusion between
Asian and British culture
Example of brasian culture
Bhangra music mixed with rap e.g jay sean
Johal suggested brasians adopted a hyper-ethnic style
What is this
Exaggerated form of their parents culture
What is code switching
Brasians being selective on what they want to follow e.g religion, diet
Do brasians or Rastafarian’s show more hybridity
Brasians
Why are brasians more hybrid
They blend aspects of their parents culture with aspects of British popular culture
What is an example of resistance to integrating into white British culture and who discusses this
Mercer discuses that styling of hair within black culture
Afro and dreadlocks are seen as resistance and straightened black hairstyles are seen as integrating into British society
What sociologist groups are accused of being ethnocentric
Functionalist, feminists and CCCS as they do not consider race and ethnicity of youth subcultures
Why have studies in the US been less white focused
Studies are carried out by black sociologists
Examples of hybrid subcultures
White wannabes
Modern primitives
Who are the white wannabes and who were they identified by
Identified by Nayak as white working class males who adopt language and style of black culture
Wear lots of bling and listen to hip hop
Who are the modern primitives
Described as a Neo tribe as they have a loose membership and focus on individuality
Have body modifications such as piercings and tattoos which is argued that it is their response to their sense of powerlessness
How is hybridity in youth subcultures seen as positive
Form of cultural exchange
How is hybridity in youth subcultures seen as negative
Form of cultural appropriation which is taking form other cultures without giving recognition e.g use of tattoos and piercings
Hutnyk argues the western subcultures have stripped the meaning of symbols and used them in a superficial way
Is the idea of cultural exchange really equal?
What are delinquent subcultures involved in
Youth deviant behaviour such as joyriding and vandalism
What are criminal subcultures involved in
Criminal behaviour such as drug dealing or dealing in stolen goods
What are gangs
Group of young people who associate together
Gang is used by media and police to refer to a group who cause harm to community
Often have a leader, hierarchy and a name
What are spectacular subcultures
Highly visible subcultures recognised by confrontational attitudes and flamboyant styles
What are anti school subcultures
Group of pupils who reject norms and values of school and reverses them
Value troublemaking and disruptive behaviour
Poor grades become a good thing
What has influenced newer deviant subcultures emerging
Internet
How do online communities interact
Youths share experiences finding a common set of norms and values
What does online communities mean if they are anonymous
Young people will share deviant feelings and express rebellion they may not do in real life
Examples of online communities
Lad sites such as UNILAD
Fan based subcultures e.g Lady Gaga fans call themselves Little Monsters
What terms do postmodernists use to suggest that subcultures are no longer as distinct
Neo tribes and club cultures
What are technotribes
Groups of young people brought together through music festivals and social media e.g those who attend Glastonbury
What are the factors involved in patterns and trends in youth deviance
Social class
Gender
Ethnicity
What social class is most likely to be involved in crime
Youths from working class
What evidence supports that working class youths are most likely to be involved in crime
Barnados charity, children in the youth justice system are from the poorest deprived families
What did Jacobson find in his study regarding patterns and trends in social class
Found multiple disadvantages in majority of youths in custody they sampled
E.g three quarters were known to have had absent fathers, half lived in economically deprived households, just under half ran away , more than a quarter witnessed domestic violence
How did the Cambridge study in delinquent development support Jacobsons view
Sample of 400 young males, suggested that socio-economic deprivation was a key predictor of future criminality
How might the view that working class youths commit more crime can be criticised
May be working class youths are more visible and more likely to be targeted by the police, where as deviance among middle class may be hidden
What gender is most likely to be involved in crime
Males
How does the Home office data support that more males take part in crime
Young men aged 10-17 were found to be responsible for 20% of all police recorded crime
How did the self report studies contradict the home office data view
Said that the difference is not as great for adults
Peak age for female offending is 15 and for females its 18
Girls may offend in teens but grow out of it whereas males do not decline until mid 20s
What evidence suggests female crime is increasing
Between 1994 and 2004 the number of women in prison increased by 150%
How does Muncie criticise female crime increasing
Argues small rises in crimes create moral panic and rise in imprisonment of women has been an over reaction
What ethnicity commits the most crime
Youths form white British backgrounds
Which ethnicity is a disproportional number in the criminal justice system
Black youths
How does the home office statistics support black youths commit crimes
Black youths accounted for 21% of youths in custody even though they make up 3% of population
More likely to be stopped and searched
Arrested 3.3 more times than white youths
What does the home office statistics suggest about Asians in Britain and crime
Increase in crime rates among Asian people
Make up 5.6% of population but accounted for 9.6% of stop and searches and 7.1% of prison population
Arrest rates rose by 13% between 2005 and 2010
What do the statics between ethnicity and crime show
There is a discrepancy in the way black and white young offenders are dealt with
What do Lea and Young state state regarding crime and ethnicity
Statistics miss out important point that most UK crime is intra-racial, meaning it takes place within ethnic communities
Also argue that crime is affected by poverty and street culture
What is functionalist Mertons theory
Strain theory
What does functionalist Merton strain theory mean
Individuals may experience a strain between what is said to be the goals of society and what they can actually achieve- leads to people going out to get these things illegitimately
What term does functionalist cohen discuss
Status frustration
What does Cohens term status frustration mean
Teenage boys desire status which means respect in eyes of peers, says working class boys are aware of mainstream values and those who cling onto to these values are seen as inferior to middle class boys (creates status frustration) so get in a fight as a way to gain status so more working class boys commit crime
How do functionalists cloward and ohlin see deviance
A reaction to problems in achieving the values in mainstream culture so will use illegitimate means to get them
What term to Cloward and Ohlin use to discuss that not everyone has the same opportunity to achieve things
Blocked opportunities
What three subcultures did Cloward and Ohlin outline and describe them
Criminal subcultures- develop in slum areas, have a hierarchy of criminal opportunity
Conflict subcultures- formed in unstable areas, youth turn to violence and form gangs to defend areas
Retreatist subcultures- retreat from society’s values and turn to addiction or petty crime
Although Miller is seen as a functionalist what idea does he challenge and an example
Value consensus is shared by all
Says working class boys do not even try and gain academic status as that is a middle class value
What does Miller call working class values
Focal concerns
What are examples of working class boys focal concerns
Being in trouble, being tough and macho
Value freedom
Evaluation of the functionalist view as to why young people participate in youth subcultures
Functionalists categorise all working class into one when in realty subcultures are subject to regional, gender and ethnic variations (not all the same)
Cohen assumes working class boys are reacting to their failure to achieving mainstream values but Miller disagrees saying its just to achieve their own values - disagree with each other
Interactionists challenge statistics as they believe youths are more easily labelled by police
How do the underclass relate to deviant youth subcultures
The entire underclass could be seen as a deviant subculture but particularly among youth through gangs and anti school subcultures
Murray says these subcultures from an identity of laziness and feckless behaviour where they do not take responsibility as they say they are looked after by the state
What does Murray state about single parent families and their impact on deviant youth subcultures
Murray judges the increase in single mothers raising young boys- he says this an explain the high rates of crime amongst young males from deprived social backgrounds as those without a father lack paternal discipline and tend to group up unsocialised. Also tend to be sexual predators and have difficulty holding down a job
Murray says girls without a father may be emotionally damaged often getting pregnant at a early age and then live off benefits
Evaluation of the new right for young people participating in youth subcultures
Victim blaming
Not all people form underclass have a lazy work ethic, they just don’t have the opportunities
Not all those who live in poverty turn to crime
How do interactionists see deviance
As socially constructed
Who labels working class boys as deviant
Police
Public media
What does interactionist Becker mean by labelling relates to power
If you have power you have the ability to make a label stick e.g young people may label police but have no effect but police will label and there will be an effect
What does labelling lead to
Self fulfilling prophecy
What is the self fulfilling prophecy
When someone is repeatedly labelled and starts to accept and live up to label by internalising it
What was Cicourels study called and what was it about
The social organisation of juvenile justice
Found the process of dealing with potential deviants had three stages
What the three stages did circourel find
Stage 1- police stop and search seeing behaviour as suspicious
Stage 2- police arrest individual
Stage 3 - assess suspect to see if they fit the typical delinquent image
What happens if the behaviour of the individual was polite and apologetic or family seemed good during circourels study
No further action was taken or individual may not be charged
Evaluation of interactionists for young people participating in youth subcultures
Interactionists assume the label comes first so do not explain why youths commit deviance before they are labelled
Not all youths will accept their label some will fight it
What do Marxists mean by relative deprivation
People tend to feel more deprived when they compare themselves to others- media is a key source
Youth will feel deprived compared to adults and the wealthier- may feel they have less freedom and are easily influenced by media to what they think they should have
What do Marxists mean by marginalisation
When people feel pushed to the edges of society
They feel excluded, powerless and lack any way to voice their frustrations
Young people are more likely to experience marginalisation as they lack power
What do Marxists mean by subculture
Experience of relative deprivation and marginalisation may lead to young people forming subcultures to help them deal with feelings of frustration
Evaluation of Marxism as why young people participate in youth subcultures
CCCS accused of being gender bias and making generalisations about youth
CCCS is outdated and there a few spectacular subcultures today
Left realist ideas are more up to date- relative deprivation explains material crimes, marginalisation explains violent crimes and subcultures explain risk taking crimes
How does Young explain underclass youth crime
Challenge new right view through his concept sociology of vindictiveness
Says underclass feel an intensity of exclusion where they are so deprived therefore deviance is an emotional response to this social exclusion and driven by desire for inclusion
What does Decker say are the reasons for joining gangs
Push factors- social, economic and cultural disadvantages- need for safety and protection
Pull factors- attractiveness of gang- status and provide money making opportunities
What did Harding compare gangs he studied in London to
A casino
Said gangs were a social area of competition and said street cred is like collecting chips at a casino
What were the three possible responses to education among working class youths identified by Brown
Getting in- low achievers wanted to join manual occupations
Getting out- high achievers who wanted to use education to boost their social position
Getting on- followed rules of school
What were the fluid groups that Mac and Ghail identified with different responses to school
Ordinary lads- uninterested in school
Academic achievers- worked hard pro school
Macho lads- formed anti school subculture valued acting tough
What was Paul Willis study on working class boys in Birmingham
Found lads saw themselves as failures but turned it around to be a good thing spent their time having a laff as they all know they would get jobs in factories like their fathers
Willis followed them up in the factories and said their behaviour was the same spent time messing around
What sociologists supported Willis
Macdonald and Marsh as they found working class boys in Teeside still rejected academic success and felt it not good to be seen as trying hard
What do interactionists believe leads to anti school subcultures
Labelling
What does Reay argue as to why anti school subcultures develop
Education has a high risk of failure and is seen as a competition they cannot win but within their subculture they create their own competitions such as being tough and deviant which they can win
What delinquent subculture did Nightingale study
Young black males in Philadelphia who were excluded both racially and economically from achieving values and goals of mainstream US so they turn to illegitimate means to achieve them
Who did Bourgois study
Drug dealers in New York where drug dealing was their way to survive and achieve respect there was a million dollar industry on their doorstep so why should they get a minimum wage job in the city
What do Nightingale and Bourgois study show
A paradox of inclusion- the desire to be included so turn to deviance but guarantees exclusion
What does Sewell say regarding anti school subcultures and ethnicity
A successful black male would be a target for bullying whereas education failure comes with a badge to wear with pride
What four groups did Sewell identify
Conformists- pro education/school
Innovators- pro education but anti school
Retreatists- reject goals of education
Rebels- form own subcultures
