NCJ Number
162539
Date Published
1993
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This paper outlines a Marxist view of subcultures from a youth perspective and explains how subcultures in Australia express alienation and rebellion from society and reflect the nature of a society divided into classes.
Abstract
Subculture is defined as a network of behavior, beliefs, and attitudes existing within and different from a larger culture. Because many groups identified as subcultures have overlapping beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes with the rest of society, a revised definition of youth subculture is based on the argument that young people choose to be part of a subculture and are not always forced because of economic or social reasons. Youth subcultures are identified in terms of music, fashion, lifestyle, hobbies, and other parameters. Some young people consciously identify themselves as part of a subculture while others do not. Further, young people are alienated from society in various ways. They lack economic and political control over their lives, and life choices are severely limited by conditions in which they live. Specifically, young people have little control over their working conditions, the political environment in which they live, the school setting, and family life. Confronted with this lack of control and the alienation created by a class society, many youth rebel against society. Nonetheless, youth subcultures are not inherently progressive or reactionary. The author concludes that eliminating the alienation of young people in society requires resolving the massive contradictions inherent in capitalism. 4 references and 1 photograph