The punk rock subculture in Victoria : a field study

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dc.contributor.authorBaron, Stephen Wallaceen_US
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-13T00:07:24Z
dc.date.available2024-08-13T00:07:24Z
dc.date.copyright1988en_US
dc.date.issued1988
dc.degree.departmentDepartment of Sociology
dc.degree.levelMaster of Arts M.A.en
dc.description.abstractResearch in the area of adolescent subcultures in Canada has been sparse. This field study of the Victoria punk rock subculture attempts an exploratory examination in the area. The data consist of transcribed unstructured interviews with members of the subculture and field notes gathered during the observation period. The study uses structural functionalist and neo-Marxist theories of subcultures as guides to explanation of the Victoria subculture. Structural functionalist theory postulates that lower class youth who experience a discrepancy between ideological goals and the opportunities to reach goals will enter a subculture The subculture allows them to achieve higher status via alternative criteria . Neo-Marxist theorists argue that lower class youth participate in subcultures in an attempt to solve structural problems emanating from their class position. The subculture allows them to symbolically challenge the dominant order. The findings challenge the assertions of both theories concerning class of origin. The membership is not drawn primarily from the lower or working classes. Current class status, overlooked by both theories, indicated severe resistance to the dominant order. Many of the members adopted marginal socioeconomic locations and were faced with severe hardships. Members lived in "squats", received state support or worked at low wage employment. They begged, stole, robbed and scammed to survive. They were exposed to negative interaction with the public, violence with other subcultures, and attention from the police and other social agencies. As suggested by both theories, the subculture was male dominated. Males were involved in more severe resistance while females tended to use the subculture for social purposes. Otherwise the results revealed a diversity of responses that made theoretical explanation difficult. In many cases, each theory explained different aspects of the subculture. In other cases, the responses of many members did not fit the theories at all. While part of the membership displayed resistance to cultural goals, school and the family, others showed little resistance in these areas. This suggested that there were differing levels of resistance within the subculture. The attitudes of the subculture were found to be libertarian. The resistance was seen to stem from the libertarian aspects of the subculture not from its class origin. This libertarianism served to mute any potential political action because it discouraged the development of a group ideology. The members could only solve their problems symbolically through their style. They achieved status through membership and violence. They could not address issues of unemployment, poverty and alienated labour in the subculture. Neither theory gained clear support and the study revealed a number of weaknesses in them. This suggests that further work needs to be carried out to fully develop subcultural theory.
dc.format.extent179 pages
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/17176
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Weben_US
dc.titleThe punk rock subculture in Victoria : a field studyen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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