Key concepts: Youth culture = different from culture...it opposes mainstream society and rejects the norms and values passed on by previous generations Subculture = a group whose behaviours are different from mainstream norms Spectacular subcultures = subcultures that attract attention of the public and mass media Ethnocentric = certain ethnic point of view Hybrid youth cultures = combining ethnicities Deviance = behaviour which goes against the norm Labelling = attaching a certain label to someone Delinquency = minor crime Anti-school subcultures = negative about school Pro-school subcultures = positive about school
Key research/ theoretical perspectives: Stan Cohen (1972) - moral panic and the media Guibernau & Goldblatt (2000) - identified an increase in America control over world culture - including youth culture Functionalists - the generation gap crease a need for subcultures Parsons (1956) - subcultures can provide a bridge- they give young people a sense of belonging within their transitional state Eisenstadt (1956) - subcultures are to do with ascribed and achieved status Albert Cohen (1955) - working class boys join subcultures to overcome status frustration Marxists - subcultures are a from of resistance against the class system Phil Cohen (1972) - Skin heads - valuing masculinity and aggression Tony Jeffferson (1976) - Teddy boys - wearing clothes to give you a higher status Postmodernists - no such thing as subcultures anymore Willis (1990) - too much diversity in style and culture to say there is one single youth subculture Bennett (1999) - young people form temporary associations, instead of subcultures McRobbie (1976) - bedroom subculture- girls spend a lot of time in their bedrooms with their friends- they accept social control in a private sphere McRobbie (2000) - youth culture pushed young people towards traditional gender roles Gilroy (1987) - black youth subcultures involve direct resistance to racism Gilroy (1993) - hybridisation - youths borrow styles from other cultures Functionalists - link between subcultures and youth crime Cohen (1995) - delinquent subcultures - gaining a different source of status due to the status frustration they face in society Marxists - link delinquency to economic inequality Brake (1980) - youth crime occurs within the working class, as the young people know they have little chance of success through legitimate means Labelling theory - some people are more likely to be labelled within society, so are more likely to be stopped, searched and arrested - links also to the self-fulfilling prophecy Heidenhson (1986) - gender socialisation explains why females do less crime Stuart Hall (1982) - racism in the police is the result of exaggerated black criminality Gilroy (1982) - street crime links to young black peoples anger at white society Hargreaves (1967) - working class pupils more likely to be placed in lower class sets at school, and feel labelled as failures - they then need to follow their own delinquent values Mairtin Mac an Ghaill (1994) - crisis of masculinity Gillborn (1990) - teachers sometimes negatively label black students - results in the self-fulfilling prophecy Wright (1992) - institutional racism
Pedagogy: -mind map of different theories and theorists for each topic -ask pupils to create a profile of a deviant youth - get the pupils to then link theories to this case study -ask pupils to independently research and make a presentation for the class about a subculture -let pupils create their own subculture (present to class) - describe a theory - ask pupils to provide a conflict theory for this -create a pairs game in regards to theories - (pairing cards - 1) theory/sociologist 2) the argument) -exam question practice -Show 'This Is England' - discuss in relation to sociology of youth - subcultures/status/racism/working class etc.