Sociology, Youth and Youth Work Practice by Simon Bradford

Author:Simon Bradford [Bradford, Simon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Family & Relationships, Life Stages, Adolescence, Social Science, Social Work, Minority Studies, Discrimination, Volunteer Work, Sociology, General, Political Science, Public Policy, Social Services & Welfare
ISBN: 9781137284969
Google: yS8dBQAAQBAJ
Publisher: Macmillan International Higher Education
Published: 2012-09-24T05:21:26+00:00

The CCCS approach was characterized predominantly by Marxist cultural studies, with its emphasis upon the centrality of social class (reflecting the arguments considered in Chapter 4), culture being an expression of class difference and subcultures representing a variant of the ‘parent’ class culture. It adopts the Italian Marxist Gramsci’s idea of the cultural hegemony of the most powerful groups within society (Bennett, 2005: 23–5). Hegemony refers to the power that a dominant class exercises over subordinate classes in ideological forms (through language, beliefs, culture and so on) and the extent to which that is unquestioned by the subordinate classes. The dominant culture is that practised by the dominant class and culture is defined as the realization or objectification of group life in meaningful forms (art, literature, music and so on). This means that cultural events and objects represent the commonality within groups and culture expresses what particular groups share. However, culture is a ‘two-way street’ in that it provides a set of meanings for individuals as group members. Culture shapes the social relations of a group, its structure and the means by which membership is acquired (socialization).

Expressed in these terms, culture is clearly an enormously important concept for sociologists. In class terms, youth subcultures have generally been perceived as ‘resistant’, ‘deviant’, challenging or problematic in various ways and understood as the most visible, direct and unmediated responses to class subordination. Hence the importance placed upon them in the 1970s. This becomes very clear when the CCCS writers turn their attention to middle-class youth subcultures and argue that they should be theorized in a different manner: as part of the ‘contradiction’ of being members of the dominant culture.

The variations on the theme of subculture and its functions are summarized in Table 5.1.

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