Youth culture formation

Question 1

What do functionalists argue about youth?

Answer 1

Young people need to be integrated into society to feel a sense of belonging and this is social integration

Question 2

What do functionalists argue about the role of youth culture?

Answer 2

To promote social integration for young people by offering a transitory phase of life

Question 3

What does Talcott Parsons say about socialisation and youth culture?

Answer 3

Societies need a special stage of youth due to the wide gap between childhood and adulthood and they are segregated into specialised institutions and learn how to become an adult. This allows cultural heritage to pass smoothly and for young people to become detached from their parents and achieve independence. Youth culture becomes a rite of passage

Question 4

Abrams (1959)

Answer 4

Social changes of the time (1960s) enable a creation of youth culture through increased spending and a consumer economy targeting youth culture and youth became important to the economy (through spending money on thinks like clothes, gadgets and going out)

Question 5

What are the disadvantages for functionalist theories on youth culture?

Answer 5

• They ignore clear differences between youth subculture, Marxists believe these differences between subcultures are based on social class differences
• They do not consider gender or ethnic related issues and how this influences youth subcultures. Feminists would argue that gender has influence on youth culture

Question 6

Youthquake, Leech (1976)

Answer 6

Young people become more affluent and adopt their own style of dress behaviour and music, Youthquake may occur where there is a big culture gap between youth and parents as they want to experience a world of their own that is different to their parents.

Question 7

What is identity like in youth culture?

Answer 7

Youth are neither children or adults and this can cause confusion about their identity.

Question 8

What function does youth culture have in relation to identity?

Answer 8

• Provides young people with support of a peer group whilst they find themselves
• Can be a collective solution and they can feel understood, giving them a sense of power or control
• By being adventurous and experimenting they can develop stable personalities

Question 9

What is an advantage of the idea of youthquake?

Answer 9

Supporting evidence of people joining youth subcultures due to collective solutions of their problems could be the research conducted by brake who studies skinheads. they felt their working class identity was threatened and felt solidarity in their subculture

Question 10

What is a disadvantage for the idea of youthquake?

Answer 10

The gap between parents and youth could be different based on the young persons gender and ethnicity, research conducted by Johal focused on british asian youths and these young people may behave differently with family at home and with their peer groups

Question 11

Eisenstadt (1956)

Answer 11

Youth culture provides a set of shared norms and values and a sense of belonging to reduce stress and anomie. It is an outlet to let off steam and somewhere to test boundaries. People spend more time in youth due to education and since its between childhood and adulthood people experience anomie

Question 12

Anomie in youth culture

Answer 12

Youth experience confusion and uncertainty about the behaviour that is expected of them by society

Question 13

What are the disadvantages of eisenstadts work?

Answer 13

• The idea of adulthood being a homogenous grouping is criticised as it’s not clear to say adulthood as it’s not clear what that means. Mitterauer (1993)
• Based on the same social groups that the writers come from (functionalists from white middle class american males) so is ethnocentric

Question 14

Mitterauer (1993)

Answer 14

Easy to identify if someone was an adult as they had left the parental home and found employment, set up a new home and gotten married however this has now changed.

Question 15

What approach do Marxists use?

Answer 15

Structuralist and conflict, which sees society as being based on the exploitation of the working class

Question 16

What do marxists believe the working class are controlled by?

Answer 16

Hegemony

Question 17

Hegemony

Answer 17

Values are dominated by the media and education and the ideas are transmitted by the upper classes

Question 18

What are youth subcultures reaction to hegemony?

Answer 18

Conflict

Question 19

What do marxists focus on?

Answer 19

Spectacular youth subcultures

Question 20

Spectacular youth subcultures

Answer 20

Subcultures that command loyalty of their followers and each participant is a dedicated member of a single distinct subculture with its own norms, values, style and uniform, members of these expressive subcultures expressions identity through dress, music, appearance and behaviour

Question 21

Resistance Hall and Jefferson (1976)

Answer 21

Sociologists from CCCS state working class young people formed the weakest point in the ruling class societal control as unlike adults they are not tied down by jobs and family. Youth culture is a form of resistance against capitalism and is a way of resolving the problems faced by each generation of WC youth

Question 22

Exaggeration

Answer 22

As a reaction to the capitalists attempt to control the working class, youth subcultures exaggerate the behaviours and define them to oppose capitalist control (Crime, Graffiti)

Question 23

What have marxists been criticised for in terms of their view on youth subcultures?

Answer 23

• Muggleton (2000) argued CCCS work assumed youth subcultures were WC
• Ignoring the importance of ethnicity as class isn’t the only form of inequality and some groups form subcultures to retaliate (Rastafarianism)

Question 24

What are the positive aspects of the marxist view on youth subcultures

Answer 24

CCCS praised for researching youth and using holistic approach to understanding them. They used cultural analysis, style and the relation between dominant class cultures and ethnography and this gives a good overview into the study and examination of youth subcultures which can be enlightening

Question 25

Clarke (1976)

Answer 25

Studied skinhead youth culture and found exaggerated WC masculinity as they dressed in workers clothes and were violent and territorial. Clarke argues their style recreated traditional WC community and used to to recover it from extinction

Question 26

Brake (1984) 'magical solutions'

Answer 26

Youth subculture provide magical solutions to the lives of members and they can realistically do nothing to alter the power differences in society but joining a subculture allows them the opportunity to convince themselves that their generation will be different

Question 27

Incorporation

Answer 27

Youth subcultures eventually decline and are replaced and this is when their style loses their cutting edge and distinctiveness and eventually fade away

Question 28

What are the disadvantages of Clarke and Brakes research?

Answer 28

- McRobbie (1991), criticised critical sociologists as they ignore the role of girls in subcultures, MALESTREAM - Functionalists would disagree with marxists as they exaggerate the idea of resistance. Einsenstadt (1956) says this is an attempt to carve an identity for themselves

Question 29

What is the advantage of Clarke and Brakes research?

Answer 29

Uses ethnography and this increase validity

Question 30

Gramsci (1971)

Answer 30

Neo-marxist, developed hegemony and observed ruling class domination and control in capitalist society, stating that it rests on the level of thinking in society rather than violence and force. The youth can be fooled into thinking society is fair and links to marxist ideology

Question 31

Marxist ideology

Answer 31

False ideas are used by the ruling class to hide the true nature of inequality and exploitation

Question 32

Barthes (1993) Semiology, Neo Marxism

Answer 32

Ordinary life is like a text and we need to work out the hidden meanings. Day to day activity should not be taken at face value and we need to understand what people are really saying. We need to deconstruct the hidden meaning behind youth subcultures

Question 33

"Subculture the meaning of style" Hebdige (1979)

Answer 33

Writes about alternative subcultures and how they create oppositional subcultures that allow subordinate youth groups to develop counter-hegemonic life styles. These subcultures work against the dominant ideology of the capitalist class. Youth styles are meaningful

Question 34

Heidensohn (1995)

Answer 34

Argues that research into youth subcultures is malestream

Question 35

Malestream

Answer 35

Research has been conducted by male sociologists about male youth involvement and females have been ignored

Question 36

Pillion passengers

Answer 36

Feminists claim that in youth subculture research females are missing and most studies only briefly mention females in the background as pillion passengers (groupies)

Question 37

Invisible girl

Answer 37

term used by McRobbie and Gerber (1976) to describe the role of females in youth culture

Question 38

McRobbie (Bedroom culture )

Answer 38

Girls respond to control from parents by creating a bedroom culture based around romance, fashion and private domestic space. This is less visible

Question 39

McRobbie (control theory)

Answer 39

Girls are restricted by expectations by parents and are prevented from going out and having freedom so can't join visible subcultures

Question 40

What are the disadvantages of control theory?

Answer 40

- The more parents control girls like this, the worse they may be when they get freedom and Campbell's research supports this as more females are joining NY gangs and this is mirrored in UK and 34% of gangs were female - "Control" is a negative word as it has negative connotations and assumses female youth are being controlled in their lives. May link to marxist ideas of exploitation and women having little power or to patriarchy

Question 41

What is the advantage of control theory?

Answer 41

Research evidence that females are marginalised in subcultures and are absent comes from Thornton (1995)

Question 42

Thornton (1995)

Answer 42

Studied dance music scene of the 90s and discovered that although females were more likely to go clubbing they were given less status.

Question 43

Presence of females in youth subcultures

Answer 43

Women didn't really enter the workplace until the 1970s and weren't around to carry out studies on the role of females in subcultures

Question 44

Reddington (2003)

Answer 44

As a result of females not entering the workplace, girls in subcultures were largely ignored, but contradictory evidence would suggest that they have always played an active role. Photographic images through history have shown a clear presence of teddy girls, girl mods and hippies

Question 45

What did Blackman study?

Answer 45

New Wave girls

Question 46

New wave girls

Answer 46

Blackman studied them in a comprehensive school and gained access to them through a group of Mod boys. He stayed with the girls during school and went to their house after and talked to their parents. New wave girls were WC, popular and academically able and were mildly anti-school. they did not conform to traditional expectations of femininity

Question 47

What are the disadvantages of Blackman's research?

Answer 47

- Gender bias as Blackman was a male and may have been bias, affecting the validity of his results and could have missed key elements of the research and failed to understand the female perspective - Marxists would criticise the research by Blackman and the Feminist perspective because it is bias, the research doesn't look at social class and it only looks at the issue of gender and is ignoring the social inequality. Their WC status may affect their experience

Question 48

What is an advantage of Blackman's research?

Answer 48

- McRobbie (1994) supported the research, he found research that young women were increasingly reclaiming public space and asserting control over their sexuality, they were experiencing more economic and social opportunities, he notes that black Ragga girls were similar to new wave girls as they ridiculed male sexism and resisted male oppression

Question 49

Who studied the Ragga girls?

Answer 49

McRobbie

Question 50

Ragga Girls

Answer 50

Originated in Jamaica in the 80s and wear anything as long as it is short, tight and expensive. There is ragga girls community in South London and they take up public space and assert control over sexuality as they experience more economic and social opportunities

Question 51

What are the disadvantages of the Ragga girls?

Answer 51

- Dancing sexually may form of attention seeking and getting the wrong kind of attention, they do not get power but instead they are objectified that makes them lose respect and goes against their purpose of being valued - They are focusing on how they look and their dance abilities but this means they don't focus on their education which would hinder their ability for success in the future

Question 52

What are the advantages of Ragga girl research by McRobbie?

Answer 52

Post modernists would support the research in terms of right to free will and ability to support themselves through music success

Question 53

Who studied the Riot Grrrls?

Answer 53

Aronson

Question 54

Riot Grrrls

Answer 54

Originated in the early 1990s and is an underground feminism punk movement from the USA. It combines feminist consciousness, punk style and politics. They include DIY ethic, zines art, political action and activism.

Question 55

What issues do the Riot Grrls address?

Answer 55

Rape, Domestic abuse, sexuality, racism and female empowerment

Question 56

What wave of feminism are the Riot Grrrls associated with?

Answer 56

The third wave

Question 57

What is an advantage of the riot grrrls?

Answer 57

They push the girl power movement and try to lessen the inequality between men and women and push for issues concerning women to be improved

Question 58

What is a disadvantage of the riot grrrls?

Answer 58

Criticised due to not acknowledging the effects of race and ethnicity on females within the subculture. Many black females did not want to be part of the movement due to negative stereotyping and labelling about "angry black women" so the movement may not reflect the true female experience in subcultures

Question 59

Bauman (1993) - post modernist

Answer 59

Argues there is no longer a coherent social world in the post modern era since youth style has become diverse and youth styles have become fluid and are no longer based on class ethnicity or gender

Question 60

How is youth culture global according to Bauman (1993)?

Answer 60

Exposure to other cultures and ideas broadens youth horizons to new ideas and opportunities and they can adapt and develop cultural forms into different ways of acting and behaving

Question 61

How is youth culture connected according to Bauman (1993)?

Answer 61

New styles can be connected around the world via the internet and they can be shared adapted and discarded in rapid time

Question 62

How is youth culture individual according to Bauman (1993)?

Answer 62

The individualistic development of the self in a postmodern society. The youth work on their own individual sense of style and do not see their identity as resting on the collective. there is a type of tension whereby the youth are searching for an identity but want the individualisation of choice

Question 63

Individualism

Answer 63

Involves being different to the rest and standing apart from others. If we are wholly individual we may lose who we are and may not be able to sustain our identity

Question 64

Malone (2002)

Answer 64

Gave the example of hip hop which is a cultural product marketed as a commodity. Hip hop has a huge significance on young people and celebrates ethnic diversity individualism and collective communities at the same time

Question 65

What is the advantage of Post modernist ideas of youth?

Answer 65

Cashmore (Marxist) (1997) supports the idea of youth hybridity. Gangsta rap began in the60s in Jamacia and by the 70s it was popular in black NY neighbourhoods and by the 80s it was promoted worldwide, however rap is constantly changing and as a result it has been adapted to suit a whole variety of youth orientated circumstances

Question 66

What are the disadvantages of Postmodernist ideas of youth?

Answer 66

- Functionalists like parsons and Eisenstadt disagree and argue that youth culture still exists and serves the function of helping young people transition into adulthood - There are still some examples of identifiable subcultures in society like goths and emos which are youth subcultures

Question 67

Who came up with the idea of "supermarket of style"?

Answer 67

Polemus (1997)

Question 68

Supermarket of style

Answer 68

The idea of fluidity of youth styles, youths can choose from different fashions musical tastes and identities in the same way as supermarket shoppers are offered numerous choices of food

Question 69

Appearance equals identity

Answer 69

In a fragmented and anonymous world, how we choose to look becomes a calling card signalling who we are

Question 70

Brands

Answer 70

More than just status symbols and displays of consumption, they are lifestyle statements and a visual way of signalling the values and beliefs of potential customers, branding becomes an identity statement

Question 71

What is the advantage of Polemus' supermarket of style idea?

Answer 71

There is evidence in everyday society to support the idea that we now have a hybridised youth culture whereby young people take elements from the global cultures featured in the media (asian music and the Spanish language being incorporated into mainstream British Pop culture)

Question 72

What are the disadvantages of Polemus' supermarket of style idea?

Answer 72

- A criticism of the postmodern approach is that it could be argued that we can easily identify different genders, ethnicities and social classes by their associated styles (chavs, skinheads) so SOS isn't accurate - Labelling may be an issue as looking glass self by Cooley suggests that youth label each other based on appearance and this can lead to negative stereotyping leading to self fulfilling-prophecy

Question 73

Who made the concept of Neo-tribes?

Answer 73

Maffesoli (1998)

Question 74

Neo-tribes

Answer 74

fluid and open movements have replaced youth subcultures which now cease to exist. Youth behaviour is seen as tribal, dynamic, loosely bound and constantly changing. They have a range of changing identities that centre around a life of choice

Question 75

What are examples of neo-tribes?

Answer 75

Punks and Goths

Question 76

How are punks and goths examples of neo-tribes?

Answer 76

They gather around a set of totems such as clothing and music that would be adopted, shaped and moulded into various styles

Question 77

Totems

Answer 77

A wide range of groupings that share a commitment to a communal ethic of warmth and friendship

Question 78

What does the idea of neo-tribes link to?

Answer 78

Hybridised world kids (Luke 2000)

Question 79

Hybridised world kids (Luke 2000)

Answer 79

Youngsters with a globalised sense of youth that are connected by two things

Question 80

What two things does Hybridised world kids (Luke 2000) state youth are connected by?

Answer 80

1) Physical - some styles and identities are common to a very loosely connected group of youths, this is reinforced by face to face interaction 2) Virtually - Social networks and messaging help to create contact through virtual communities

Question 81

What are the advantages of Maffesoli's idea of Neo-tribes?

Answer 81

+ Research carried out by the MIPC argue that clubbing culture supports the postmodern view of youth culture and youth styles are no longer related to class, gender or ethnicity + Bennett (1999) found supporting evidence for neo-tribes and investigated clubs in Newcastle and found no evidence for rigid youth subcultures and instead found neo-tribes

Question 82

What is a disadvantage of Maffesoli's idea of Neo-tribes?

Answer 82

- Some of them are based on virtual social networks which can lead to issues such as online abuse, bullying and stalking which could lead to a youth subculture becoming dysfunctional and may mean members do not feel they belong