Subculture in the 21st Century is a key text for all students of sociology and cultural studies. Drawing on case studies and supported by a range of resources on its dedicated companion website, it is an introduction to the history, theory, tensions, and contemporary process that have shaped subcultures and their study.
Offering an accessible overview, it examines subcultures and subculture studies and how they have been formed and critiqued; it considers how subcultures are structured by contours of inequality through the continued relevance of gender, sexuality, race and ethnicity, and social class; and how contemporary processes, such as globalisation, ageing, and digital technology, have given us new ways of thinking about subcultures. Key topics covered include theoretical frameworks and concepts central to subcultural studies today, including social stratification, identity and authenticity, style, and resistance; critical evaluation of lifestyle, scene, and neo-tribe in post-subcultural studies; femininity and masculinity, power and identity; how sexualities have produced and impacted subcultures; what subcultural groups can offer racial minorities; class and structures of power, and resistance; subcultures through the life course; the emotionality and effects of contemporary subcultures; the relation between globalisation and subcultures; and digital media, participation, and scalability of subculture. Three detailed case studies from international contributors examine diverse subcultures, including Bronie subculture amongst adolescent and adult men, the range of masculinities within skateboarding, and the punk and electronic music scenes in Romania.
Brought to life with extracts of interviews and real-world examples and vignettes, Subculture in the 21st Century is an essential textbook for students of sociology and cultural studies as well as those interested in the study of contemporary movements in youth and popular culture.
Access the support materials on https://subcultureinthe21stcentury.wordpress.com/
Edited by:
Steven Threadgold (University of Newcastle Australia),
David Muggleton
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 246mm,
Width: 174mm,
Weight: 420g
ISBN: 9781041069157
ISBN 10: 1041069154
Pages: 216
Publication Date: 29 September 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO SUBCULTURE STUDIES 1. Introduction 2. Subcultures and subcultural studies 3. Critiquing subculture: scenes, lifestyles, tribes PART 2: IDENTITY, INEQUALITY AND SUBCULTURE 4. Gender and subculture 5. Sexuality and subculture 6. Race, ethnicity and subculture 7. Class and subculture PART 3: SOCIAL PROCESSES AND NEW WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT SUBCULTURES 8. Subcultures and the Rest of Life 9. Emotions, Affect and Subcultures 10. Globalization and Subcultures 11. Digital Subcultures PART 4: CASE STUDIES 12. Case Study 1: Dance Music and Subculture 13. Case Study 2 Video Representations of Masculinity in Skateboarding 14. Case Study 3: Bronies
Steven Threadgold is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Newcastle, Australia. David Muggleton is Senior Lecturer in Sport Social Science at the University of Chichester, UK.
