Youth Subcultures
Edited by Rob White
National Clearinghouse for Youth Studies, 1993
162pp. $28
Reviewed by Sean Malloy
Theoretical or analytical books on subcultures are not commonplace. However, discussion and debate are flourishing in academic, welfare and political circles. Youth Subcultures is a forum for a number of debates, theories, points of view, research and experiences of subcultures and young people.
The book is composed of 24 contributions, divided into four 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳: theory, research, history and experiences.
While a few contributions are written in an overly academic style, the book makes for fascinating reading. Particularly interesting are the research and experiences 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳, which include interviews and comments from young people on themselves, society and subcultural activities.
Rob White, editor of Youth Subcultures and lecturer in criminology at Melbourne University, introduces the book by describing its contents and the differing perspectives of its contributors.
"For some, the task is simply to understand", he writes, "to gain knowledge 'for its own sake'. For others, research has an expository role, that is, it is linked to exposing the features and contours of youth experience in order to enhance the development of youth policy or to be better able to work with young people directly. For others, analysis is itself a form of dissident writing, the goal of which is to raise consciousness and to prepare the way for collective liberation from oppressive and alienating social structures."
White also notes that there are few works by Australian writers on subcultures, especially Australian subcultures.
Youth Subcultures does not assert any definitive, prescriptive, answer for what a subculture is, but it never intended to be a "textbook" of that nature. It does, however, affirm subcultures within the context of society. The historical and research 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ are instructive in showing relationships between the behaviours of young people and their social environment. A number of contributions, through their research, are in general agreement about the effect of changes in society on young people.
Another aspect which makes the book a rare gem is the number of contributions which focus on young women. These contributions give an insight into how a society imbued with sexism affects women's lives, even in what appears to be the simplest of circumstances and everyday occurrences.
The only drawback with this book is its relative unavailability. It probably won't be on the shelves of Dymocks or Angus & Robertson, even though it is likely to be better reading than most material they stock. At last check Youth Subcultures was available from the National Clearinghouse for Youth Studies, in Hobart, and from Resistance bookshops.