People often try to feel as a part of something, but what happens when a persons views and beliefs are completely different from the norm? In order to feel understood, these people will seek out others that share in their ideas and feelings, often times forming a subculture. The Frankfurt and Birmingham schools of thought analyze popular culture in an attempt to examine the formation and the purpose of subcultures in society. Through personal observation and interviews I was able to analyze the Gothic subculture. In my research I focus on the styles, the beliefs, and rules of the Gothic subculture while applying the Frankfurt school and Hebdige’s theories on subculture to determine whether they pose a threat to society. To begin the analysis,
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The Birmingham school theorists also focused on semiotics, and hegemony. Their goal was to uncover the random nature of culture to understand how social constructions become naturalized, and how we develop common sense to make sense of the word (Barnes 2016). For example, it is common sense that those who are disobedient should be sanctioned. As a society, we tend to stray from disorderly conduct and agree to punish those who are disobedient. Hegemony, a concept introduced by the Birmingham school can further elaborate on my example. Hegemony refers to the dominance of one group over the other through fabricated consent. Gramsci explains that hegemony is seen through classes, as the dominant groups in society to repress the subordinate groups, through the use of politics (laws) or stigmatizations to maintain control within the mass culture. Those who refuse mainstream society’s norms are seen as outcasts, and they tend to look for others who share in their ideas oftentimes creating or joining a subculture. According to Hebdige, subcultures come together in an attempt to express the struggle over meaning and power in society between dominant and subordinate groups, and symbolically challenge hegemony through style (Barnes 2016). Hebdige says “ The meaning of subculture is, then, always in dispute, and style is the area in which the opposing definitions clash most …show more content…
The Gothic subculture is made up of people who see beauty in the darker more macaube things, in referance to art, music, fashion, and literature. In my research, I attended a gothic nightclub called Club Sabbat in San Diego to examine group interactions, and styles. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was that everyone was wearing black from head to toe with the exception of a few girls who had white or red hair. I saw a mixture of Victorian-like clothing (that incorporated smooth fabrics and lace) and leather (pants or jackets) with spike studs. Many of the goths there were wearing white or red contact lenses that mimicked cat eyes. Tattoos, and body piercings were very common among those that attended the nightclub, along with spikey bracelets, and choker necklaces. Many of the gothic members (men and women) had on very pale almost white make-up (foundation), and had drawn very dark exaggerated eye features. The club played mainstream music sparingly during the three hours I was there, but for the most part I was unable to recognize a lot of the music playing (which sounded like rock). I observed a new style of dancing. The dancing moves were very different from what I normally see. Some people danced facing down the entire time with lose upper limbs others looked up at the ceiling and did awkward hand gestures as they raised them up and down.
The Birmingham school theorists also focused on semiotics, and hegemony. Their goal was to uncover the random nature of culture to understand how social constructions become naturalized, and how we develop common sense to make sense of the word (Barnes 2016). For example, it is common sense that those who are disobedient should be sanctioned. As a society, we tend to stray from disorderly conduct and agree to punish those who are disobedient. Hegemony, a concept introduced by the Birmingham school can further elaborate on my example. Hegemony refers to the dominance of one group over the other through fabricated consent. Gramsci explains that hegemony is seen through classes, as the dominant groups in society to repress the subordinate groups, through the use of politics (laws) or stigmatizations to maintain control within the mass culture. Those who refuse mainstream society’s norms are seen as outcasts, and they tend to look for others who share in their ideas oftentimes creating or joining a subculture. According to Hebdige, subcultures come together in an attempt to express the struggle over meaning and power in society between dominant and subordinate groups, and symbolically challenge hegemony through style (Barnes 2016). Hebdige says “ The meaning of subculture is, then, always in dispute, and style is the area in which the opposing definitions clash most …show more content…
The Gothic subculture is made up of people who see beauty in the darker more macaube things, in referance to art, music, fashion, and literature. In my research, I attended a gothic nightclub called Club Sabbat in San Diego to examine group interactions, and styles. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was that everyone was wearing black from head to toe with the exception of a few girls who had white or red hair. I saw a mixture of Victorian-like clothing (that incorporated smooth fabrics and lace) and leather (pants or jackets) with spike studs. Many of the goths there were wearing white or red contact lenses that mimicked cat eyes. Tattoos, and body piercings were very common among those that attended the nightclub, along with spikey bracelets, and choker necklaces. Many of the gothic members (men and women) had on very pale almost white make-up (foundation), and had drawn very dark exaggerated eye features. The club played mainstream music sparingly during the three hours I was there, but for the most part I was unable to recognize a lot of the music playing (which sounded like rock). I observed a new style of dancing. The dancing moves were very different from what I normally see. Some people danced facing down the entire time with lose upper limbs others looked up at the ceiling and did awkward hand gestures as they raised them up and down.