Youth Cultures and Subcultures

This volume critically examines ’subculture’ in a variety of Australian contexts, exploring the ways in which the terrain of youth cultures and subcultures has changed over the past two decades and considering whether ’subculture’ still works as a viable conceptual framework for studying youth culture. Richly illustrated with concrete case studies, the book is thematically organised into four sections addressing i) theoretical concerns and global debates over the continued usefulness of subculture as a concept; ii) the important place of ’belonging’ in subcultural experience and the ways in which belonging is played out across an array of youth cultures; iii) the gendered experiences of young men and women and their ways of navigating subcultural participation; and iv) the ethical and methodological considerations that arise in relation to researching and teaching youth culture and subculture. Bringing together the latest interdisciplinary research to combine theoretical considerations with recent empirical studies of subcultural experience, Youth Cultures and Subcultures will appeal to scholars and students across the social sciences.

’Youth Culture and Subcultures: Australian Perspectives is a stellar collection of essays that reassesses debates around youth culture, subcultures, and post-subcultures in refreshing and exciting ways. The authors and editors read these debates through the particular empirical context of Australia, giving the collection an important and helpful specificity often missing from similar such interventions in the field. This book is must-reading for anyone interested in youth studies today in and across a range of disciplines including sociology, anthropology, education, and communication.’ Greg Dimitriadis, UB SUNY, USA ’From new approaches to theory and research, to a range of original studies, this strikingly comprehensive and varied collection demonstrates how, when it comes to understanding contemporary youth cultures and subcultures, Australian scholars are at the forefront. Youth Cultures and Subcultures will be of considerable interest to scholars in Australia and far beyond.’ Paul Hodkinson, University of Surrey, UK ’A truly impressive collection! Bringing together scholars from across Australia, this book represents the breadth, rigour and diversity of current research in youth cultures, demonstrating that Australian scholars are now clearly leading the way in contemporary youth cultural studies. A perfect blend of cutting edge research that is also geared towards use in the classroom, this collection will be of interest to academics and students alike.’ Sian Lincoln, Liverpool John Moores University, UK

Sarah Baker is Associate Professor in Cultural Sociology in the School of Humanities, Griffith University, Australia. She is the co-author of Creative Labour: Media Work in Three Cultural Industries and Teaching Youth Studies Through Popular Culture, and co-editor of Redefining Mainstream Popular Music. Brady Robards is Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Tasmania, Australia. He is the co-author of Teaching Youth Studies Through Popular Culture and co-editor of Mediated Youth Cultures: The Internet, Belonging, and New Cultural Configurations. Bob Buttigieg is currently completing a PhD in the School of Humanities at Griffith University, Australia.