Punk Rock and the Politics of Place

"Sociologist Debies-Carl has crafted a well-written, thoughtful study of what punk rock and punk culture mean to its participants.His revised dissertation offers a thorough investigation of the punk subculture as it relates to both space and place. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduate and graduate music/ethnomusicology students." -J. Jocson-Singh, Columbia University, CHOICE Reviews

Autorentext

Jeffrey S. Debies-Carl is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of New Haven.

Klappentext

This book is an investigation of punk subculture. However, unlike previous books that have attempted to do so through the sounds or styles of punk, this book examines the subculture from a spatial perspective, exploring the built environment of punk and the cultural practices associated with that environment and - in the process - shedding light on the greater issue of the relationship between space and society.

Zusammenfassung

This book is an ethnographic investigation of punk subculture as well as a treatise on the importance of place: a location with both physical form and cultural meaning. Rather than examining punk as a "sound" or a "style" as many previous works have done, it investigates the places that the subculture occupies and the cultural practices tied to those spaces. Since social groups need spaces of their own to practice their way of life, this work relates punk values and practices to the forms of their built environments. As not all social groups have an equal ability to secure their own spaces, the book also explores the strategies punks use to maintain space and what happens when they fail to do so.

Inhalt

Part I: Introduction 1. A Place for Punk Part II: Punk Subculture 2. Are the Kids Alright?: The Trouble with Youth Culture Studies 3. What's the Point of Punk? Part III: Punk and Place 4. The Significance of Place 5. Locating Punk Space: From Bars and Clubs to Cellars and Squats 6. Organizing Punk Music Venues Part IV: Conclusion 7. Building a Better Tomorrow: Lessons Learned from the Venue. Afterword. Appendices Appendix A: Researching Punk and Place. Appendix B: Interview Schedule. Appendix C: Internet Forums Used in Recruiting Participants. Appendix D: Overview of Observed Music Spaces. Appendix E: Texts Analyzed.