The Subcultures Reader [Paperback]

Ken Gelder (Editor), Sarah Thornton (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415127289 | ISBN-13: 978-0415127288 | Publication Date: February 12, 1997

The only collected work of its kind in the field, The Subcultures Reader brings together the most valuable and stimulating writings on subcultures from the Chicago School to the present day.

All the articles have been specially selected and edited for inclusion in the Reader and are grouped in sections, each with an editor's introduction. There is also a general introduction to the collection, which maps out the field of subcultural studies.

Providing an essential guide to the subject, it enables students and teachers to understand how subcultural studies developed, the range of work it encompasses, and provides potential future directions of study throughout the field.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

First coined in the 1940s, the term "subculture" has been applied to society's most interesting, and, often, most inventive elements. Through a collection of articles written over the last 50 years, this book traces both the history of the academic study of subcultures and the history of subcultures themselves. While you'll find the usual assortment of articles on punk rock, street gangs, and Star Trek fans, what is perhaps most interesting are the articles from the early days of "subculture studies." Two of the highlights include a piece by Paul G. Cressey on 1930s taxi dancers and their opinions on race and class, and an article by Howard Becker on the language and attitudes of jazz musicians in the early '60s. The 55 selections in this volume offer a rich spectrum of subcultures and the academic responses they have evoked.

About the Author

Ken Gelder is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Melbourne. He is the author of Reading the Vampire, also available from Routledge. Sarah Thornton is Lecturer in the Department of Media Studies at the University of Sussex. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 616 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (February 12, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415127289
• ISBN-13: 978-0415127288
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,895,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sarah Thornton is a freelance writer who contributes to The New Yorker, BBC-TV, and Artforum.com. She has degrees in art history and sociology. She lives in London.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for contemporary subculturalists, February 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Subcultures Reader (Paperback)

Gelder and Thornton have pulled together a book that I could have based my entire senior thesis upon as the sole source. Most subculture studies anthologies rely too much on the British school of thought. While that was the seminal work in the field, there's been a *few* more developments since the sixties :) Gelder and Thornton realize this, and draw from almost a full century of subculture studies. Each progression in the field is grouped into a new chapter, with a cohesive introduction section. Some chapter will take a serious sociologist to manage full appreciation - the "sociologese" can get thick when individual authors are trying to obscure the fact that their thesis is a "stretch" to put it mildly. But the book on the whole is a great resource for anyone involved in subculture studies - a good range, considerable depth, and reader-friendly organization for those not yet versed in the particulars of the field.