Announcement and Call for Papers
Subcultures, Popular Music and Social Change
- A Cross-Disciplinary Symposium -
Thursday 15th - Friday 16th Sept 2011
London Metropolitan University, London, UK.
Style-based subcultures, scenes and tribes â??
along with their music genres â?? have pulsated
through the history of social, economic and
political change. From 1940s zoot-suiters and
hepcats; through 1950s rock â??nâ?? rollers,
beatniks and Teddy boys; 1960s surfers,
rudeboys, mods, hippies and bikers; 1970s
skinheads, soul boys, rastas, glam rockers,
funksters and punks; on to the heavy metal,
hip-hop, casual, goth, rave and clubber styles
of the 1980s, 90s, noughties and beyond;
distinctive blends of fashion and music have
become a defining feature of the cultural
landscape. Research into these phenomena has
traversed the social sciences and humanities,
and this symposium aims to bring together recent
studies, insights and methodological approaches
in this rich, interdisciplinary field.
Featuring contributions both from major scholars
and eminent commentators, the symposium seeks to
explore the historical and cultural significance
of subcultural styles and their related music
genres. Bringing together theoretical analyses,
empirical studies and methodological
discussions, it will explore the relation
between subcultures and their historical
context, the place of subcultures within
patterns of cultural and political change, and
their meaning for participants, confederates and
opponents. As well as Anglo-American
developments, the symposium aims to consider
experiences across a variety of global sites and
locales, giving reference to issues such as
class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, creativity,
commerce, identity, resistance and deviance.
The symposium marks the launch of the
Subcultures Network: The Interdisciplinary
Network for the Study of Subcultures, Popular
Music and Social Change â?? a cross-disciplinary
research network for scholars and students
interested in the relation between subcultures
(in all their forms) wider process of social,
cultural and political change. Additional
information about the Subcultures Network can be
found at - http://www.reading.ac.uk/history/research/hist-subcultures.aspx.
Confirmed Speakers Include:
Prof. Dick Hebdige (UC Santa Barbara)
Prof. David Hesmondhalgh (University of Leeds)
Roundtable Discussion:
Richard Barnes
(author, Mods!; Mod: Clean Living Under Very
Difficult Circumstances - A Very British
Phenomenon; The "Who": Maximum R & B - A Visual History)
Pauline Black
(singer (The Selecter), actress, author, Black by Design: A 2-Tone Memoir)
Caroline Coon
(artist, journalist, political activist, author
1998: The New Wave Punk Rock Explosion)
Paul Gorman
(journalist, director, creative consultant,
fashion label owner, author, The Look:
Adventures In Pop & Rock Fashion; In Their Own
Write: Adventures In The Music Press; Straight (with Boy George))
Key thematic strands of the conference include:
â?¢ the nature and meaning of â??subculturalâ?? style.
â?¢ the relationship between subcultures, popular music and social change.
â?¢ gender, identity and subcultural groups.
â?¢ ethnicity, â??raceâ?? and subcultural identities.
â?¢ sexuality, style and subculture.
â?¢ globalisation, locality and subcultural hybridity.
â?¢ media configurations of subcultures, scenes and tribes.
â?¢ style, popular music and political movements.
We invite papers and themed panels which
investigate these and other areas of interest
from a wide range of theoretical positions and
disciplines including: sociology, history,
cultural studies, criminology, media studies,
music studies, politics, psychology.
Titles and abstract (no longer than 250 words)
to be submitted no later than Friday May 20th
2011. Email: (dasslectures /at/ londonmet.ac.uk)
We are keeping the cost of attendance at the
symposium low at just £40 (to cover lunch,
refreshments and an early evening reception on both days).
Symposium Venue:
London Metropolitan University, Holloway Road, London, N7 8DB, UK.
How to find London Metropolitan University -
http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/about/buildings/tower.cfm
The organisers
Jon Garland (University of Leicester)
Keith Gildart (University of Wolverhampton)
Paul Hodkinson (University of Surrey)
Bill Osgerby (London Metropolitan University)
Lucy Robinson (University of Sussex)
John Street (University of East Anglia),
Pete Webb (Goldsmiths, University of London)
Matt Worley (University of Reading).
