The Phenomenon of Rock Music and Subcultural Identity

This topic submitted by Drew Butcher, Hailee Gibbons ( butcheda@muohio.edu ) on 2/17/06. [ Human Nature Team: Drew Butcher, Hailee Gibbons-Section: Blaisdell/Feister]

Introduction
The constantly expanding genre of rock music has been one of the most powerful phenomena to make its mark on 20th and 21st century society. Unlike other forms of music, rock has been characterized by the formation of youth subcultures whose members share not only common music tastes and experiences but also a compulsion to center their entire lifestyles around their favorite music. This force can dominate everything from the way a person dresses to their entire outlook on political and social issues, with rock icons serving as role models that replace other authoritative figures. We believe that there are numerous reasons grounded in human nature and the nature of rock music itself that account for why these subcultures are set apart from others. Based on our preliminary research, we believe these reasons (among others) involve motives such as desire for empowerment, social acceptance, and rebellion from aversive or oppressive societal norms. We plan on examining different aspects of human nature in the historical context of the formation of these subcultures and hope to ultimately create theories that define the remarkable relationship between rock music and subcultural identity formation. This endeavor will be interdisciplinary because we will be examining both history and the present from anthropological, sociological, and psychological perspectives for the purpose of understanding a prominent art form and its undeniable permeation throughout society.

Relevance of the Research Question
Music-based subcultures have been the subject of mainly ethnographic studies. Since the 1970s, a great deal of research has been done concerning the development and maturation of various subcultures. We plan to go further by drawing on different disciplines to explore the nature of this relationship and understand the reason rock subcultures are so prevalent and unique among other music followings.
Books and Journal Articles
Bennett, Andy. Cultures of Popular Music. Buckingham: Open University Press, 2001.
Andy Bennett's book is an analytical commentary on other authors' reports on various music genres and the subcultures that have stemmed from them. He places special emphasis on rock and roll and its sub-genres, giving rock as a whole the attention of four separate chapters of the book. Bennett's book provides a solid historical understanding of the development patterns and changes that have marked these rock subcultures. Most helpful in our research is his discussion of the social and political factors that have drawn humans to rock music on such a wide scale and in ways unique from his other single-chapter assessments of other musical genres.

Campbell, Neil American Youth Cultures New York: Routledge, 2004
This anthology contains a number of essays that seek to explore the various representations of youth culture in American literature, film, television, and other texts. The collection examines the critical meanings of the concepts of youth and generation and then traces them through a variety of expressive texts. Finally it explores the ideological implications and political engagement connected with America youth cultures. This book will be useful because it explores a wide variety of cultures uniquely through expressive and media related texts.

Fine, Gary A. et. al "Rethinking Subculture: An Interactionist Analysis" The American Journal
of Sociology Vol. 85, No. 1: July 1979, pg. 1-20
This journal article provides an overview of subculture theory, as well as describes basic research methods that would be most productive in studying subculture. It focuses primarily on the qualitative approach, such as interviewing, in order to understand subculture. Also, it explores identification and the motivation for socialization into subcultures. The article also explains the fluidity of subcultural identity. While it is broad and not specific to our area of research, it is useful as background information concerning the conceptualization of subcultures.

Gracyk, Theodore I Want to Be Me: Rock Music and the Politics of Identity Philadelphia:
Temple University Press, 2001.
This book investigates the ways that rock music forms individuals' ideas concerning their identities. Using the view that rock music is a mass art and cultural phenomenon, it examines how the emotional messages and countercultural appeal of rock comprise a way for individuals to shape their personal and political identities. This book will be helpful because it confronts many issues concerning the cultural importance of rock music and also explores how rock serves as a catalyst to identity formation in its listeners.

Gross, Robert L. "Heavy Metal Music: A New Subculture in American Society." Journal
of Popular Culture. Volume 24, Issue 1. 1990. pp 119-129
What interests us about Robert L. Gross is the solid understanding he provides of the various reasons why a heavy metal cult was ever formed in the first place, in addition to the characteristics that make this subculture unique and worthy of study. He addresses heavy metal and new youth subculture with an understanding of two popular viewpoints thereof: as a socially and spiritually subversive movement alien to American values and culture, and also as a musical and cultural excursion into a fantasy land, solely for the purpose of entertainment and commerce.

Jenks, Chris Subculture: The Fragmentation of the Social London: Sage Publications, 2005
This book explores the sociologically contexted history of the concept of subculture. Using linguistic principles, it examines the meanings behind the social groups. It also shows the consequences of using the idea of subcultures in research and theory, and the radical political dimensions of the concept. The author proves that subcultures are the sources of identity and signifiers of difference in modern society and speculates about the future of such social groups. This book is helpful because it will provide additional background information on subcultural theory, as well as examine the concept from a linguistic viewpoint.

Kolloge, Rene The Times They Are A-Changin': The Evolution of Rock Music and Youth
Cultures Frankfurt: Peter Lang GmbH, 1999.
This book explores the emergence of youth cultures in connection with the phenomenon of popular rock music. It begins with an overview of various theories on culture, popular culture, and popular music, and then describes the evolution of rock music. It also explains the function of rock music in the development of youth identities and lifestyles. This book will be useful because it examines a number of different applicable theories and contains a deep historical and cultural analysis.

Kruse, Holly "Subcultural Identity in Alternative Music Culture" Popular Music Vol. 12, No. 1
January, 1993, pg. 33-41.
This journal article uses an ethnographic (or micro-sociological) analysis of music scenes in order to show the numerous practices that comprise the identities of the members of such subcultures. It proves that while identity is fluid and constantly changing, the options for experiencing identity within such scenes are limited. The author claims alternative music scenes are divided by cliques, groups, and rivalries while simultaneously united by age, gender, and common ideologies. The article emphasizes that music tastes and common or shared music experiences are not the sole driving force behind subculture formation, and claims that race, class, and gender play an important role. This article will be helpful due to its anthropological and sociological observations concerning alternative rock music cultures and their function in identity formation.

Muggleton, David. Inside Subculture. New York: Berg, 2000.
Muggleton's book is a source of unique value because it contains relevant interviews with several individuals who are affiliated with postmodern alternative subcultures. These direct insights significantly enhance Muggleton's analysis on the deeper meaning of style in such subcultural groups. Because of the inclusion of these lengthy interview excerpts, we will be able to do make our own direct inferences and conclusions based on these individuals' feedback in addition to drawing from Muggleton's analysis.

Schwartz, Gary. Beyond Conformity or Rebellion. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.
Gary Schwartz includes several basic definitions for what technically makes a subculture a subculture. He draws from various authors' perspectives on the subject, and although the body of his work is not concerned specifically with youth subcultures, his introductory piece provides us with very useful background information and definitions.

Toynbee, Jason Making Popular Music: Musicians, Creativity, and Institutions New York:
Oxford University Press, 2000.
This book examines rock music in terms of popular musicians and creativity. While this does not directly relate to our research question, a section of the book is devoted to the role of musicians within social and cultural realms. It explores different genres of rock music and their social function in creating groups that seek to differentiate, and even oppose, the societal norm. This is a valuable resource because unlike the others, this book examines the relationship between the formation of youth cultures and musicians, rather than focusing only on the music they create.

Willis, Susan "Hardcore: Subculture American Style" Critical Inquiry, Vol. 19 No. 2:
1993, pg. 365 Đ383.
This journal article attempts to explain how subcultures in the United States are a way of examining the various problems associated with American cultural theory. While many of its observations and claims are based on the hardcore culture, the author maintains that this is not a definitive ethnographic study. Rather it is more aimed at proving the meaning and ideologies behind subculture, specifically the political ramifications of capitalism and the resulting class system. This article is useful because it examines subculture theory from a political standpoint by specifically focusing on the relationship of culture to capitalism.

Websites
"Youth Subcultures" SonlifeAfrica.com
http://www.sonlifeafrica.com/model/subcult1.htm
This website gives a brief but thorough overview of youth subcultures. It first defines the concept of youth subculture and then explains how they are formed. It then attempts to account for the increase in youth subcultures by examining societal aspects such as size, rate of change, globalization, and so on. It also explores the features of youth subcultures, including style, language, music, class, rebellion, art, gender, relationship to the dominant culture, and degree of openness to outsiders. Finally, it examines the three types of youth subcultures Đ stable, developing, and counter cultures and identifies many various existing subcultures such as Punks, Goths, and Metalheads.
* We have found the web to be of little use in our research because the sources have been either unreliable or scarce. We will be relying primarily on journal articles and books.

Specific Research Design
We will be conducting research in the humanities to arrive at conclusions that will help us to answer our inquiries concerning human nature. Additionally, we will attempt to go beyond traditional research via interviewing experts or individuals who once had or have subcultural identity.
Materials and Methods
We have begun the process of seeking out both up-to-date and historically rich books and online journal sources. To add fresh perspectives to the mix, we will press for interview opportunities with knowledgeable individuals and/or interviewees who currently or used to identify with a certain rock subculture. We intend to conduct the research together at all times rather than splitting up the workload for the sake of a common understanding during the creation of the final report.

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