Spectacular youth subcultures

Question 1

Phil Cohen - Skinheads

Answer 1

argued that due to skinheads believing their identity was being threatened, they focused on reclaiming territory by football hooliganism which showed ownership of the ground and surrounding area.

Question 2

Tony Jefferson - Teddy Boys

Answer 2

teddy boys emerged in the 50s during high employment and relative affluence but they were excluded from this affluence due to not doing well at school. Due to having nowhere to go, they hung around in large groups and wore bright coloured jackets. He argued that the jackets symbolised their attempt to be like their middle class superiors.

Question 3

John Clarke - Skinheads

Answer 3

argued skinheads represented an exaggerated version of working class masculinity by wearing an extreme form of manual workers clothes; braces, big boots etc. They had a macho, aggressive attitude. This was due to the youths believing their working class identity was under threat due to economic conditions.

Question 4

Hebdige (1979)

Answer 4

used the term ‘bricolage’ to describe some punk culture referring to punks’ reuse of ordinary objects and putting them together in new ways e.g piercing bodies and clothes with safety pins. This was seen as a resistance against the dominance of the mainstream media and fashion industries which told youth how to be.

Question 5

Dick Hebdige - Mods

Answer 5

though mods were working class, they were more affluent who used their money to create a style they was a resistance against the middle classes showing they too could be smart and ‘cool’.