topic 1A: formation of youth / subculture + 1B: types of subcultures

Question 1

define youth

Answer 1

socially constructed 🏗 stage of transition between childhood and adulthood

Question 2

give 2 examples of cultural differences in youth

Answer 2

— BEMBA GIRLS 👧 (ZAMBIA 🇿🇲)
- first day of period 🩸: immediate adulthood
- full roles, rights and status

— FULANI BOYS 👦 (SUDAN 🇸🇩)
- ritualistic whipping ceremony
—> full adulthood (roles, rights, status)

Question 3

ROBERTS (youth)

Answer 3

3 types of transition: gal
G radual (13-21)
A brupt (short)
L engthy (13-25)

UK: legal changes mean we r developing a ⏳LENGTHY TRANSITION
—> Rafael Samuel: 26 yrs, tried to sue his parents saying that they still had to look after him (bc they gave birth to him without his consent)

early 1900s, no overarching youth subculture.
1950s: concept of TEENAGER created 📺👠

Question 4

give 4 reasons UK youth culture emerged in 50s

Answer 4

1. 📖🍎🦉 1944 EDUCATION ACT: secondary schools stretched out childhood, creating teenhood.
2. 🎸📺 MEDIA + ADVERTISING: new age group (11-15) became new target 🎯 consumer 🛍 market
   — Elvis Presley
   — Hula hoops
3. 💹📊💰 ECONOMY: growing economy, more JOBS. Youth had increased SPENDING POWER —> expansion of entertainment industry providing teen meeting places
4. 🛫 IMMIGRATION: policy of recruitment resulted in immigration from COMMONWEALTH (windrush etc).
   —> increased ethnic diversity created NEW YOUTH SUBCULTURE (teddy boys, Mods and Ska etc) from racism / hybrid cultures

Question 5

Hall and Jefferson

Answer 5

Teddy Boys 🧸

— attempt to recreate working class identity
— working class ‘lads’ felt threatened 😟 by immigration
—> developed strong sense of LOYALTY and TERRITORY, racism 💪
— Edwardian style suits 🧥, drainpipe trousers 👖, suede shoes 👞, quiffs called ELEPHANT TRUNKS 🐘
American 🇺🇸 Rock and Roll 🎸

Teddy girls too: secondary roles within subculture (pencil ✏️ skirts, rolled up jeans, flat shoes)

Question 6

Berger

Answer 6

🍔
youthfulness = PERSONAL ATTITUDE TO LIFE, not matter of age

impulsive, spontaneous, energetic, playful, thrill seeking
🤪🤩⚡️🎢

Question 7

Pilcher

Answer 7

youth centred on WITHDRAWAL FROM PARENT CONTROL
—> leads to concerns that youth r VULNERABLE and must b protected 🛡
—> youth is carefree w no responsibility, but CARE is needed to prevent ✋ DEVIANCE

Question 8

Davies

Answer 8

2000s
youth differed little from parent’s values.
few had rebellious subculture

Conformist. Conservative 😐

Question 9

Delinquent youth subculture

Answer 9

young people collectively commit low-level crime (vandalism, joy-riding)
—> USUALLY NON-UTILITARIAN

vandalism = 18% of current crime

e.g. Hall and Jefferson’s TEDDY BOYS 🧸

Question 10

James Patrick

Answer 10

50s 🔪
Violence = method of entry to gang.
Violent situations actively searched for.
Patrick gained entry to gang via gatekeeper but was so scared it took him almost 20 years to publish study

Question 11

Albert Cohen

Answer 11

😖🐓
working class boys: can’t fulfil middle class values (espec in school 🏫)
—> STATUS FRUSTRATION

so, INVERTED MIDDLE CLASS VALUES!: formed delinquent, counter-school subculture. 💪

Question 12

Criminal Youth Subcultures

Answer 12

youth who collectively do illegal 😬 acts
more utilitarian (drug dealing, theft, mugging etc)

linked to working class

Question 13

Venkatesh hi

Answer 13

Gang Leader for a Day (drug-dealing 🍃 gang): Chicago black people 80% unemployment rates

— functional for members 👍
—> gave them a job w pay, promotion, protection, purpose 😁
OUTLAW CAPITALISM

Question 14

Cloward and Ohlin (Functionalists)

Answer 14

working class youth more likely to have PARALLEL OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURE:
—> ILLEGITIMATE OPPORTUNITY STRUCTURE

WC have more pressure than MC to deviate from mainstream norms bc LESS LEGITIMATE OPPORTUNITY.

              —> criminal subcultures r functional bc they provide opportunity.

Question 15

define spectacular youth subculture

Answer 15

very noticeable/visible subcultures due to their hairstyles and clothes e.g. punks, hippies

Rebellious
Flamboyant

Question 16

Hebdige 1979 💥🎃

Answer 16

semiotic analysis

Punks rejected mainstream capitalism and consumerist values 🚫💸🛍
—> repurposed everyday objects into fashion (toilet chains ⛓, safety pins 🧷, bin bags
Stolen from mainstream culture and magically used to symbolise something else.

Multicoloured mohawk hair

Question 17

Hall (Marxist)

Answer 17

Hippy culture
Rejected mainstream capitalism.
Values of love, peace, anti-war, protect environment. ❤️🕊🌍
Long hair, peace and flower symbols, hallucinatory drugs. formed in REBELLION
🍃🌾🌺

Question 18

define anti-school subculture

Answer 18

youths who collectively reject norms and values of school and create their own set of distinctive norms and values

Question 19

Archer 🏹 and Yamashita

Answer 19

hyperheterosexuality: male subculture and rejection of school. Laddish, toxic masculinity

Question 20

Willis (Marxist)

Answer 20

1970s
counter-school subculture found in working class boys 👦
Valued ‘having a laff’ and rebelling over conformity + academic success 🚫📚

     —> fight against capitalism: semi-class conscious
             power in numbers, recognised that meritocracy is MYTH
             PARTIAL POLITICAL AWARENESS
                    
                       —> however actions TRAPPED them in system further
                                     — misbehaviour results in low paid jobs resulting in further exploitation
                                     — sexism + racism etc COUNTERPRODUCTIVE, as it divided WC rather than uniting

Question 21

define gang

Answer 21

group of (espec young) people who regularly associate together to commit crime. Violence, group identity, solidarity.

Question 22

Harding 2014

Answer 22

girls in gang use SOCIAL SKILLS to carve out a roll.
gangs r MALE DOMINATED

girls can’t b leaders, only ‘fixers’ (hiding weapons + drugs and trading info w rival gangs)
—> social skills v important, essential for survival

sexual violence against young female gang members common: ‘keeping them in line’

Question 23

Batchelor et al. 2000

Answer 23

not one of 800 girls in Scotland were in a gang.
Girls’ physical violence RARE, but many had witnessed male physical violence

  —> shows that gangs r male-dominated

shows that gangs don’t always provide protection because if they did girls would join more.