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Item B
Some sociologists regard youth subcultures as a form of resistance where young people use
the clothes they wear, for example, to reject different aspects of society that they disagree
with.
Other sociologists argue this is an outdated concept however, and there are no longer
subcultures as young people can easily move between different subcultural groups.
1) Applying material from item B and your knowledge, evaluate sociological explanations
of youth subcultures (20 marks).
Introduction
Youth subcultures: groups of young people who have different norms/values to the dominant
culture. Examples include teddy boys and punks.
AO1: “form of resistance”. MARXISM: teddy boys resisted class system (Hall and Jefferson);
skinheads engaged in exaggeration (Cohen).
AO3: FEMINISM: youth use clothes to resist, e.g. New wave girls (Blackman). However, this
is to resist patriarchy, not capitalism. Shown by bedroom culture (McRobbie and Garber).
AO1: “can easily move between different…groups”. POSTMODERNISM: neo tribes (Bennett)
enable youth to move between subcultures using supermarket of style/consumer culture
(Polhemus). Youth take part in same subcultures, e.g. club culture (Thornton).
AO3: ETHNICITY: not all youth take part in same subcultures. Ethnic minorities form own
subcultures to resist racism (Modood). E.g. Rastafarianism.
AO1: FUNCTIONALISM: youth is a transitional phase (Parsons). This is a stressful period so
youth culture is a coping mechanism which provides social solidarity/sense of belonging for
youth (Eisenstadt).
AO3: POSTMODERNISM: all youth are part of the same subculture, e.g. club culture
(Thornton), so this provides a sense of social solidarity. MARXISM: the punks (Hebdige)
engaged in a subculture to separate themselves from society. They also don’t feel a sense of
social solidarity as they are working class exploited by capitalism.
Conclusion