In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture (whether distinct or hidden) which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong. Six key ways in which subcultures can be identified: 1. Through their often negative relations to work (as ‘idle’, ‘parasitic’, at play or at leisure, etc. ); 2. through their negative or ambivalent relation to class (since subcultures are not ‘class-conscious’ and don’t conform to traditional class definitions); 3. through their association with territory (the ‘street’, the ‘hood’, the club, etc. , rather than property; 4. through their movement out of the home and into non-domestic forms of belonging (i. e. social groups other than the family); 5. through their stylistic ties to excess and exaggeration (with some exceptions); 6. Through their refusal of the banalities of ordinary life and massification. The study of subcultures often consists of the study of symbolism attached to clothing, music and other visible affectations by members of subcultures, and also the ways in which these same symbols are interpreted by members of the dominant culture.
According to Dick Hebdige, members of a subculture often signal their membership through a distinctive and symbolic use of style, which includes fashions, mannerisms, and argot. Subcultures can exist at all levels of organizations, highlighting the fact that there are multiple cultures or value combinations usually evident in any one organization that can complement but also compete with the overall organizational culture.
In some cases, subcultures have been legislated against, and their activities regulated or curtailed Sexual subcultures – The sexual revolution of the 1960s led to a countercultural rejection of the established sexual and gender norms, particularly in the urban areas of Europe, North and South America, Australia, and white South Africa. A more permissive social environment in these areas led to a proliferation of sexual subcultures—cultural expressions of non-normative sexuality.
As with other subcultures, sexual subcultures adopted certain styles of fashion and gestures to distinguish them from the mainstream. Homosexuals expressed themselves through the gay culture, considered the largest sexual subculture of the 20th century. With the ever increasing acceptance of homosexuality in the early 21st century, including its expressions in fashion, music, and design, the gay culture can no longer be considered a subculture in many parts of the world, although some aspects of gay culture like leather men, bears, and feeders are considered subcultures within the gay movement itself.
The butch and femme identities or roles among some lesbians also engender their own subculture with stereotypical attire, for instance drag kings. A late 1980s development, the queer movement can be considered a subculture broadly encompassing those that reject normatively in sexual behavior, and who celebrate visibility and activism. The wider movement coincided with growing academic interests in queer studies and queer theory.
Aspects of sexual subcultures can vary along other cultural lines. For instance, in the United States, the term down-low is used to refer to African-American men who do not identify themselves with the gay or queer cultures, but who practice gay cruising, and adopt a specific hip-hop attire during this activity A youth subculture – is a youth-based subculture with distinct styles, behaviors, and interests.
Youth subcultures offer participants an identity outside of that ascribed by social institutions such as family, work, home and school. Youth subcultures that show a systematic hostility to the dominant culture are sometimes described as countercultures. Youth subcultures are often distinguished by elements such as fashion, beliefs, slang, dialects or behaviours. Vehicles — such as cars, motorcycles, scooters or skateboards — have played central roles in certain youth subcultures.
In the United Kingdom in the 1960s, mods were associated with scooters while rockers were associated with motorcycles. Specific music genres are associated with many youth subcultures, such as punks, ravers, metalheads and goths. The study of subcultures often consists of the study of the symbolism attached to clothing, music, other visible affections by members of the subculture, and also the ways in which these same symbols are interpreted by members of the dominant culture.
Socioeconomic class, gender, intelligence, conformity and ethnicity can be important in relation to youth subcultures. Youth subcultures can be defined as meaning systems, modes of expression or lifestyles developed by groups in subordinate structural positions in response to dominant systems — and which reflect their attempt to solve structural contradictions rising from the wider societal context.
