3.1 Subcultures and Post subcultures Fixed

Religion and Popular Culture

Overview of Relevant Works

  • Books:

    • Lwamura, Jane Naomi (2011). Virtual Orientalism: Asian Religions and American Popular Culture. Oxford University Press.

    • Said, Edward W. (2003 [1978]). Orientalism. Penguin Books.

    • Shaheen, Jack (2001). Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People. Interlink Publishing Group.

  • Films and Videos:

    • Cameron, James. True Lies (1994). Lightstorm Entertainment and 20th Century Fox.

    • Cameron, James. Avatar (2009). Lightstorm Entertainment and 20th Century Fox.

    • Disney: Aladdin (1992). Walt Disney Pictures.

    • Diamond, Neil (2009). Reel Injun. National Filmboard of Canada.

    • Goldberg, Eric and Mike Gabriel (1995). Pocahontas. Walt Disney Pictures.

    • Griffith, D.W. (1919). Broken Blossoms or the Yellow Man and the Girl. Paramount Pictures.

    • Jhally, Sut (1998). Edward Said on Orientalism. Media Education Foundation.

    • Kunuk, Zacharias (2001). Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner). Igloolik Isuma Productions, Inc.

    • Nawaz, Zarqa (2007-2012). Little Mosque on the Prairie. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

    • Osborn, Mark and John Wayne Stevenson (2008). Kung Fu Panda. DreamWorks.

    • Thorpe, Jerry (1972-1975). Kung Fu. Warner Bros. Television.

    • Zwick, Edward (1998). The Siege. 20th Century Fox.

Objectives of the Chapter

  • Understanding subcultural theory and its evolution into post-subcultural theory.

  • Examining the parareligious aspects of the Goth subculture.

  • Analyzing the Burning Man festival as a mix of creativity and protest.

Subcultures and Post-subcultures

Introduction to Subcultures

  • Subcultures resist and challenge mainstream culture.

  • Defined initially by the Chicago School focusing on urban deviance.

  • Subcultures often categorized as deviants needing correction, illustrating norms in society.

Cultural Studies Approach

  • Developed by the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) in the 1970s.

  • Led by scholars like Dick Hebdige, focusing on working-class youth cultures in the UK.

  • Identified as sites of resistance against hegemonic culture by expressing style with dual meanings.

Hebdige's Semiotic Study of Style

  • Signs, Signifiers, and Signified:

    • Semiotics: study of signs, symbols, and their meanings.

    • Subcultures use style to signal resistance to mainstream values.

    • Subculture fashions often commodified by mainstream, diluting their original meaning.

Post-Subcultural Theory

  • Shift from Class-Based Models:

    • Shift towards recognizing the complexity of modern identities beyond class distinctions.

    • Subcultural capital emerges as a concept by Sarah Thornton, integrating taste and authenticity in youth cultures.

  • Neo-Tribalism:

    • Introduced by Michael Maffesoli to describe groups formed on consumption rather than class.

    • Tribes promote community based on individual needs and shared pleasures.

Insights on Burning Man Festival

  • General Description:

    • Annual festival in Nevada, started by burning a wooden effigy in 1986.

    • Emphasizes participation, creativity, and non-commercialism.

  • Spirituality at Burning Man:

    • Perceived as spiritual yet non-religious, focusing on individual experience.

    • Unique configurations of spirituality fostered by personal experiences and interactions with community.

  • Activism and Social Engagement:

    • Burners Without Borders (BwB) exemplifies merging Burners' festival ethos with social activism, especially post-Hurricane Katrina.

Subcultures and Religion

  • Implicit Religion:

    • Concepts developed by Edward Bailey suggesting that elements in subcultures serve religious functions, even if not traditionally recognized as such.

    • Commitments, Integrating Foci, Intensive Concerns with Extensive Effects: Points that shape how these groups can be seen as fulfilling religious-like roles in individuals' lives.

  • Example of Goth Subculture:

    • Emerged as a dark, morose movement focusing on themes of death and alterity.

    • Engaged with aesthetics that challenge mainstream values of consumerism and happiness.

    • Seen as parareligious, incorporating elements that resonate with spiritual practices without being bound to a specific faith.

Conclusion

  • The dynamic between subcultures and mainstream culture reveals the constructed nature of societal norms.

  • Fluidity of identities in post-subcultures illustrates challenges, pleasures, and political dimensions of contemporary cultural participation.