Views on Youth Culture - Marxist

Question 1

What is the CCCS?

Answer 1

Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies.

Question 2

What is the overall Marxist view on youth cultures?

Answer 2

Youth cultures are a fight against capitalist domination; they are a natural consequence of capitalism. Young people realise they are being exploited and try to fight back.

Question 3

Who put forward the idea that youth subcultures are a product of social class?

Answer 3

The CCCS

Question 4

What are ‘spectacular’ youth subcultures?

Answer 4

An argument by the CCCS that ‘spectacular’ youth subcultures, such as skinheads or punks, were a form of ‘magical’ solutions to the social and economic problems faced by young working class people.

Question 5

What is a balanced evaluation of the Marxist view?

Answer 5

Feminists argue they ignore girls.
It doesn’t account for the adoption of some of these style by middle-class youth.
There is danger that sociologists read too much into youth styles and see what they want to see. Majority of youth are ‘ordinary youth’ and conform.
Argued that it’s outdated (1960s/1970s)