Expaining Youth subcultures (ethnicity)

Rastafarians and Reggae culture (1)

Rastafarians could be seen as an example of a youth subculture - though they are less exclusive to ‘youth’ than most of the youth subcultures.

 

Rastas are associated with Jamaican/Caribbean culture, reggae music (bob Marley), Locs and often clothes in the colours of Red, Gold and green.

 

These colours come from the flag of Ethiopia, and Rastafarians have religious beliefs associated with their African roots in Ethiopia.

Rastafarians and Reggae culture (2)

Smoking marijuana is strongly associated with Rastafarians; it is actually seen as a part of their religion, as they believe it helps them reach a higher level of spirituality.

 

Hebdige = saw Rastafarianism and reggae culture as forms of resistance to white culture and racism wit roots in the relations of slavery

 

• Therefore Rastafarianism is a political and spiritual movement which  attracted many Caribbean migrants to Britain.

• Offering a positive identity and source of opposition to the racism and subordination they where experiencing.

 

Example of resistance to youth subculture in terms of race

Brasian Culture (1)

Refers to the subculture of some young British Asians which is a fusion between both.

 

Youth British Asians refuse to accept a subordinate place in society and wish to celebrate their culture by making it more contemporary and fashionable.

 

Johal  = suggested that some British Asian people adopted a ‘super ethnic style’, an exaggerated form of their parent culture, including watching Indian or Hindi films and listening to music from the Asian sub-continents.

 

• He argues that this can provide a kind of ‘empowerment through difference’

Brasian Culture (2)

However issues such as religion, choice of marriage partner and diet may lead to a position of selective cultural preference; a kind of ‘code-switching’ in which young Asians move between one cultural form and another, depending on context and whether overt ‘Britishness’ or pronounced ‘Asianness’ is most appropriate

Nayak ‘White Wannabees’

White wannabes’ were identified by Nayak (2003) as young white working-class males who adopt the style and language of ‘black culture’. Others terms, such as ‘wankstas’ and ‘wiggers’, have also been used.

 

 They may listen to music such as hip hop or gangsta rap, wear lots of ‘bling’ and dress in a style similar to that stereotypically associated with young black males.

 

 A good example of a parody of a stereotypical white wannabe is Ali G, famous in the late 1990s for his catchphrase ‘Is it because I is black?’, even though he clearly wasn’t black