NCJ Number
147280
Journal
Youth and Society Volume: 21 Issue: 2 Dated: (1989) Pages: 207-237
Date Published
1989
Length
31 pages
Annotation
This article reports the findings of one of the few field studies to investigate the street life of an adolescent subculture, in this case punks from the Canadian west coast.
Abstract
Most of the literature on adolescent subcultures is based on subculture theory. The author attempts to provide a current view of the activities of a youth subculture and to demonstrate how these activities are related to resistance to the dominant culture. A review of the theory on youth subcultures is provided including a discussion of how subculture is defined. The technique used to gather data was that of participant observation. Thirty-five members of a punk subculture were interviewed and field notes were kept on activities, interactions and physical appearance of group members. In the findings, demographic information about group members is reported. Other information reported includes subculture locations, which are distinguished by the lifestyles and degree of resistance adopted by members, a description of daily activities, including panhandling, experiences of members who lived on the streets, and interactions between the punks and the public and the local police. The use of violence by the punks and the role of punk music and "gigs" are also explored.