Punk Subculture free essay sample

With the high pace of modernization since the 20th Century, people tend to be mechanized into living where they live. Concerned with the erosion of identify and distinct ways of life, large quantities of subculture emerged , especially in the late sass and sass. Broodier has already coined the term cultural capital to explicate the cultural asserts available within society. As provided with unique habits and subcultures production, diverse subcultures often distinct through different subcultures capitals.This essay will interpret the notion of subcultures capital thoroughly and analyses owe it assists subgroups differentiate themselves from other social groups, especially focusing on the punk subcultures capital and its contemporary condition. Based on the theoretical foundation on cultural capital originally put forward by Broodier, Thornton further developed this notion subcultures capital to make sense Of the distinctions made by different subcultures and their unique cultural wor th, which helps the subculture lairing (Thornton, 1996). Different from the social capital and economic capital, which mainly concerned with status and fund, the subcultures capital focuses on the accumulated knowledge within a particular subculture. We will write a custom essay sample on Punk Subculture or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Therefore, it is more related to the essence of the culture, rather than the transmission. In this way, Subcultures capital plays a more important role than the social and economic ones on group identification. Subcultures capital usually originates from the social groups and then exposure to public to set off cultural practice, through which get subcultures productions, mainly are the music, art, literature and fashion.And both the subculture capital and the subculture production may shape the habits in terms of their cultural tastes. In return, the habits and the production result in an accumulation of subcultures capital. This process appears to be a circuit and operate to develop the cultural uniqueness. (see Figure 1) Figure 1 The circuit among subcultures capital, habits and subcultures production The Subcultures capital helps differentiate themselves from the others in the whole circuit.Firstly, the subcultures capital itself draws a clear dividing line between the subculture and the mainstream one. In general, the knowledge of subculture which is provided by subcultures capital is more aversive and expressive than the mainstream culture because it often acted as a resistant force against the dominate culture (Forman, 2002). More often, subcultures capital relates to some sensitive topics, such as homosexuality and anti-establishment, some even directly oppose to the ideals accolade by mainstream society.These particular beliefs create the unique subculture values. For instance, the punk subculture is based on their philosophy of unauthorized and individualism. For example, the daft punk held a concert underground in 2009, with the title Of Are Obama, in which nuns mock the US go vernment. Although the punk style changes a lot since its emergence, these ideologies have never converted and influenced on the punks for generations. Secondly, the subcultures capital shapes the members habits significantly, which characterize the subculture.The group of members generally congregates on the basis of the shared subcultures knowledge, and this accumulated knowledge will continually modify individuals habits, lifestyles and beliefs in an unconscious way. In this manner, the subcultures centralized their respective cultural values and the embers affirm that they are different from the anonymous mass (Thornton, 1995). For example, the punk subculture originates from the punk music in which adolescents expressed their anger and dissatisfaction towards the temporal social conditions.Before long, the punk subculture developed under the ideologies of anti-establishment and individualism (Swanlike, n. D). This knowledge implicitly gives alternative values to the young and gradually shapes their habits, this punk knowledge encourage the young jockey for the social power and striving for individual values. Influenced by this nun subcultures capital, the punks distinguished themselves from the mainstream code of behavior. The subcultures capital not only differentiated from the widely accepted popular cue True, but also discriminated themselves from the high culture as well.Hebrides (1976) has argued that subcultures knowledge often include class consciousness. As a matter of fact, the assertion of subcultures distinction partly bases on the ideal of classlessness (Thornton, 1995). Storey also points out that the class divides indeed exist between the subculture and the elite culture (Forman, 2002). Opposite from the high culture, which is often appeal to the taste of the elite class, the subcultures capital is always less class-bound and concerned more about the interests of lower clas s. Therefore, it shapes peoples dispositions against the dominate stereotypes, such as class, gender and religion.As an illustration, the punks can come from all works of life and the diversity help to develop the punk tastes and contributes to the accumulation of subcultures capital, these tastes may give a guide to punks preference. In this way, the subcultures capital assists to develop its uniqueness. Last but not the least, the subcultures capital singularities the culture through practice on the subcultures production, which mainly are the music, fashion, art and literature. The subculture always identified by practice on these expressive forms under the direction of the accumulated knowledge.In general condition, the subcultures music plays a central role around which the knowledge is arranged (Samson, 1998). The punk subculture, for example, signally identified through the rock, fast, loud music; the red laces, army pants, Mohawk haircuts fashion; the minimalist, iconoclastic, satirical visual art (Swanlike, n. D). Nevertheless, just the outward manifestation does not create a punk, only when the accumulated knowledge which the punks shared acts on the subcultures production, will the subgroups really be identified.For instance, Ma Yuan, the CEO of the Alabama, dressed like a punk and sang punk style songs in a 2009 grand ceremony. But this still cannot be deemed to punk for its ignorance of the punk knowledge. Therefore, all the characteristics of the subcultures production is certainly not unprovoked, the features indicate the punks knowledge: individual freedom and unauthorized. As the subcultures capital always resists and subverts the mainstream codes, the application of this ideology makes the cultural production unmoral, and shows the subgroups desire to be nonconformists.This nonconformity may further influence the subgroups hibiscus. Hebrides (1976) argued mistakenly that the subculture represented forbidden contents in forbidden forms and considered the subcultures practice as a profane way. Indeed, subculture just utilizes the extreme ways to practice their accumulated knowledge on the objective subcultures production and manage to differentiate themselves room other associations. Although the subcultures capital plays a crucial role in culture uniqueness, it is still evident that the subculture tends to integrate with the mainstream culture.In one way, despite the large distinction between subcultures capital and economic capital, in some cases It is still convertible. Especially in the post-modern era, the cultural field tends to be highly commercialese, and this tendency also influences On the subculture. As a result, some adaptations of mainstream culture have been applied to the subcultures capital in order to raise attention value and gain profits. For example, contemporary punk music is gradually losing its political meanings and manages to be commercially feasible (Swanlike, n. ). As a matter of fact, the subgroup of punk is predominately youth, whom are high in subcultures capital while low in economic capital. This impels them to take advantages of the subcultures knowledge in commercial way. The popularity of the punk-pop singers nowadays, such as April, considered as a major transformation of the punk subcultures capital. It interested more in mainstream success, which the traditional punk resist and fight against. In the there way, with the increasing globalization, the mainstream culture also becomes more diversity.According to Bennett and Kahn-Harris, the divides between the dominate culture and subculture no longer as clear as before, because the postmodernism has shaped the dominate knowledge into a plurality tastes and lifestyles (Bennett and Kahn-Harris, 2004, cited in Gelded, 2005). Although it is fact that the punk is disillusioning, the subgroups are still striving for keep resistance and renew it. Just like the underground concert held by Punks in Shanghai in 2009, the seats are limited and the scheme are lassie.This nonprofit concert can be regarded as a way for punks to retrieve the subcultures capital without commercial influence; also a way to differentiate themselves from the mainstream culture. To summarize, the subcultures capital, habits and subcultures production form a circuit which functions to distinguish the subculture from others. Among them, the subcultures capital is the linchpin Of subcultures identification and help to develop cultural uniqueness in several ways. Firstly, the subcultures knowledge itself is unique and resist from the mainstream culture.Secondly, he accumulated knowledge helps to distinct the subculture both from the popular culture and the elite culture through shaping the subgroups habits and dispositions. Finally, the subcultures capital characterizes the subculture through practice on the subcultures production. Nevertheless, the subculture still tends to integrate with the mainstream culture contemporary because of the centralization of the succubus True and the diversification of the mainstream culture.However, the subculture does not make way for the dominate culture, it still make efforts to resist centralization and Will still e a great force to revolt the dominate culture in the future.