Subculture

In 1950, American sociologist David Riesman, in his research, deduced the concept of subculture as a group of people who deliberately choose the style and values ​​preferred by the minority. A more thorough analysis of the phenomenon and concept of subculture was conducted by British sociologist and media in his book “Subculture: the Importance of Style”. In his opinion, subcultures attract people with similar tastes who are not satisfied with generally accepted standards and values.

The French sociologist Michel Mafessoli in his writings used the concept of "urban tribes" to refer to youth subcultures. Russian ornithologist Viktor Dolnik in the book " Naughty Child of the Biosphere " used the concept of "clubs".

In the USSR, the term “Informal Youth Associations” was used to refer to members of youth subcultures, hence the slang term “ informals ”. Sometimes the slang word " party " is used to refer to a subcultural community.

Fandom (English fandom - fanaticism) - a community of fans, as a rule, of a certain subject (writer, artist, style). A fandom can have certain features of a single culture, such as “party” humor and slang, similar interests outside the fandom, its publications and websites. By some signs, fanaticism and various hobbies can acquire the features of a subculture. So, for example, happened with punk rock, gothic music and many other interests. However, most fandoms and hobbies do not form subcultures, being concentrated only around the subject of their interest.

If fanaticism is most often associated with individuals (musical groups, music artists, famous artists), which fans consider their idols, then the subculture does not depend on explicit or symbolic leaders, and one ideologist replaces another. Communities of people with a common hobby ( gamers , hackers , etc.) can form a stable fandom, but at the same time have no signs of a subculture (common image, worldview, common tastes in many areas).

Subcultures can basically contain various interests: from musical styles and directions of art to political beliefs and sexual preferences. Some of the youth subcultures evolved from various fandoms . Other subcultures, for example, criminal, occurring as a result of a conflict between the main culture and those who break the law, are formed on a different basis.

Most often, subcultures are closed in nature and tend to isolate themselves from popular culture ^[4] . This is caused both by the origin of subcultures (closed communities of interest), and by the desire to separate from the main culture, to oppose it to the subculture. Entering a conflict with the main culture, subcultures can be aggressive and sometimes even extremist in nature. Such movements that conflict with the values ​​of traditional culture are called counterculture ^[5] . Youth subcultures are characterized by both protest and escapism (flight from reality), which is one of the phases of self-determination.

Developing, subcultures develop a single style of clothing (image), language (jargon, slang), attributes (symbolism), as well as a common worldview for their members. The characteristic image and manner of behavior is a marker that separates "their" (representatives of the subculture) from strangers. This shows the similarity of new subcultures of the XX century and traditional folk cultures. Therefore, methods for studying subcultures are similar to methods for studying traditional cultures. Namely, this is a historical-linguistic analysis, analysis of cultural objects and mytho-poetic analysis.

The style of clothing for a representative of a subculture is, first of all, a demonstration with all its kind of beliefs and values ​​promoted by the subculture. The most famous example is a 19th century dandy . Over time, individual elements and whole styles of clothing merge into a common culture. For example, high boots Martens , originally popular among skinheads , have long been generally accepted by many informals, and the clothing styles “ Gothic Lolita ” and “ Gothic aristocrat ” are not only an element of the subculture ready, but also an element of Japanese fashion.

Representatives of subcultures eventually develop their own language . Partially, it is inherited from the subculture of the ancestor, and is partially developed independently. Many elements of slang are neologisms.

From a culturological point of view, symbol and symbolism are decisive in the description of a particular culture and cultural work. Symbols of subcultures are, on the one hand, the self-determination of a subculture among many other cultures, on the other hand, a connection with the cultural heritage of the past. For example, the sign of the ankh in the subculture is ready - on the one hand it is a symbol of eternal life, like the heritage of Egypt, on the other hand - a symbol that currently defines culture.

Music Subcultures

One of the most striking and well-known subcultural communities is the youth movement associated with certain genres of music. The image of musical subcultures is formed largely in imitation of the stage image of performers popular in this subculture.

One of the first musical youth subcultures of our time was the hippies , the youth movement of pacifists and fans of rock music. Much of their image (in particular, fashion for long hair) and worldview migrated to other subcultures. Associated with the hippie hipster subculture. In Jamaica, the religious-musical movement Rastafari (Rastamans) arose, which, in addition to reggae music and a specific image, had a certain ideology. In particular, among the beliefs of the Rastamans are pacifism and the legalization of marijuana .

In the 1970s and 80s, following new genres in rock music, metallers and punks formed . The former cultivated personal freedom and independence. The latter, on the other hand, had a pronounced or apolitical position, or a pronounced political position; for politicized punk rock, the motto is idealized anarchy (but not always). With the advent of gothic rock , a gothic subculture appeared in the 1980s. Its characteristic features are gloom, the cult of melancholy, the aesthetics of horror films and Gothic novels. In New York, thanks to immigrants from Jamaica, hip-hop culture appeared with its music, appearance and lifestyle.

In the 1990s and 2000s, emo kiddies and cybergotes became common youth subcultures. The emo subculture is one of the youngest (many of its representatives are minors), it promotes vivid feelings and expressiveness of emotions. Cybers, as an offshoot of industrial rock, are passionate about the ideas of a speedy technogenic apocalypse.

Art Subcultures

Most youth subcultures that are not related to musical genres came from hobbies of a particular art form or hobby , such as graffiti .

Internet Community and Internet Culture

Since the mid-1990s, with the proliferation of ubiquitous Internet technologies, interactive subcultures began to appear. The very first can be considered the Fido community. Often, hackers are classified as subcultures.

Industrial and Sports Subcultures

At the beginning of the 20th century, with the romanticization of the urban way of life and the inability of part of young people to live outside the city, industrial (urban) subcultures emerged. A part of industrial subcultures left the fans of industrial music, but computer games (for example, Fallout ) had the greatest influence on these subcultures.

Popular sports subcultures include:

• The subculture of football and football is football clubs , football fans and cheerleading .
• Athletes, or “jocks” (Eng. Sportsman - “competing person”, “player for the entertainment of the crowd”), which include enthusiastic and practicing fans of power and martial sports ( bodybuilding , powerlifting , cooing , various martial arts, etc.). In the late USSR and Russia in the first half of the 1990s, “athletes” were used by pro-political movements in the fight against “informals”, they were known as “ lovers ”. Subsequently, having remained out of work, they were used by the criminal world as cannon fodder in criminal wars, which were remembered in the folklore of the 1990s as "lads", "bulls", "gopniks" in tracksuits.

Counterculture

The oldest is the counterculture of the criminal world ^[6] . Its appearance was caused by the natural isolation of those violating the law (exile in remote places, imprisonment, “gatherings”) from the main culture. As a result of this, a very rigid subculture was formed with a clear hierarchical ladder and its own laws ^[5] . In different countries, this subculture has its own distinctive features.

In Russia, after the 1990s, many elements of this subculture penetrated popular culture: elements of thieves 'jargon , thieves' songs and tattoos. Gopniks are often referred to as representatives of the criminal subculture. However, the gopniks themselves (“hooligans”) do not distinguish themselves as a special subculture, and this definition can be considered nominal.

Another striking example of the counterculture is the radical part of the skinhead subculture. Born as a musical one, this subculture has long been associated with reggae and ska music, but subsequently some of the skinheads joined radical political movements. One should not confuse the subculture itself, which is generally apolitical (for example, traditional skinheads ) and the radical part of the subculture (counterculture), which is associated with neo-Nazis, anti-communists and other political beliefs.

Milieu

One of the types of subcultures can be considered milyo (fr. Milieu - environment, situation) - the totality of a person’s living conditions and everyday social environment of a particular social group or social layer. Sociologists describe miles as groups of people characterized by special signs of behavior, culture, clothing, and more. Lifestyle, values ​​and behavioral norms in a mile develop in the process of human socialization ^[7] .

Subcultures, like any cultural phenomenon, did not arise in a cultural vacuum, but in a culturally saturated environment. Society of the XX century is oversaturated with various ideas, philosophical movements and other cultural elements. Therefore, it cannot be said that subcultures are isolated and antagonistic to mass culture; they have complex relationships with both mass culture and other subcultures.

Subculture Genetic Relationships

Family ties between cultures allow us to trace the movement of peoples, language changes and technological development of man. Kinship between subcultures also helps keep track of changing attitudes and development in the 20th century. Perhaps the most striking example of related subcultures is the Punk subculture and its descendants: Goths and others.

Conflicts

There is antagonism between certain types of subcultures. This applies to musical subcultures and conflicts based on different musical tastes. For example, punks and rappers , thrashers and grunge fans.

• Informals
• List of Subcultures
• Chronology of Subcultures

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• History of urban cultures in Russia 1984—2012
• kompost.ru - Youth subculture of the 80s in the USSR
• youngspace.ru - Journal of modern youth culture
• SUBCULTURES Informal youth movements
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