Dick Hebdige argues that subcultural style should be regarded as a semiotic form of resistance against authority - Essay Example

? Dick Hebdige argues that subcultural style should be regarded as a semiotic form of resistance against ity. Critically evaluate this suggestion using no more than two styles or fashions as examples. 1. Introduction The interaction between culture and politics cannot be denied. Culture is an indispensable part of social life. From this point of view, culture is also necessarily related to politics even if the particular relationship is not standardized, in terms of its forms. Hebdige has thoroughly explored the potential relationship between culture and politics. In his book ‘Subculture: the Meaning of Style’, first published in 1979, Hebdige uses examples from cultural trends developed in Britain during 1970s (Blake 1998, p.97). Emphasis is given to the cultural trends, especially in terms of music and dress, of youths in different subcultures (Blake 1998, p.97). The research on this subject has led Hebdige to the assumption that social relations can be influenced by the cultural background of the parties; for politics, a similar view could be developed (Blake 1998, p.97). The view of Hebdige that subcultural style should be regarded as a semiotic form of resistance against authority is evaluated in this paper. Reference is primarily made, primarily, to the concept of subculture, as described in the study of Hebdige. Then, two examples are employed for showing the value of the views of Hebdige if they are used in practice. It is proved that, indeed, subcultural style can be used as a form of resistance against authority. Still, the implications of such use are rather difficult to be identified. Neither can it be said that a particular subcultural style has been found to be effective in supporting a strong resistance against authority. 2. Hebdige and subcultural style as a semiotic form of resistance against authority 2.1 Key points of Hebdige’s view in regard to subcultural style For Hebdige, subcultures are related to two key terms: ‘conjuncture and specificity’ (During 1999, p.441). More specifically, Hebdige promotes the idea that subcultures are not limited to a particular aspect of life or to a particular area (During 1999, p.441). Rather, subcultures can be identified ‘almost everywhere’ (During 1999, p.441) being influenced though by specific conjunctures (During 1999, p.441). The term ‘conjunctures’ (During 1999, p.441) in the above use reflects not just the cultural and social trends developed in a particular region but also the political and economic conditions of the region (During 1999, p.441). It is in this framework that subcultures are created and developed (During 1999, p.441). At the next level, these subcultures change as they are adopted by people in different social classes and of different age (During 1999, p.441). Through the above transformation process a high range of styles appears (During 1999, p.441). It should be noted that the notion of subculture as developed by Hebdige is based on the continuous opposition with the system, leading to a phenomenon described as ‘resistance through style’ (Muggleton and Weinzierl 2004, p.86). The particular type of subculture has been characterized as heroic, indicating a strong willingness for fighting the system, including politics (Muggleton and Weinzierl 2004, p.86). However, today subculture has been slightly transformed; a transmission to ‘a post-heroic phase’ (Muggleton and Weinzierl 2004, p.86) has been unavoidable since the willingness of people to fight the system has been gradually reduced. On the other hand, the value of subculture for evaluating the social trends for opposing the system remains significant (Muggleton and Weinzierl 2004, p.86). When efforts are made for evaluating the power of subculture within a particular society the following fact should be taken into consideration: subculture, as described by Hebdige, needs to ‘represent noise, disturbance and blockage of the system of representation’ (Muggleton and Weinzierl 2004, p.86). If the above requirement is not met, then the social trend/ event involved could not be characterized as subculture. An important element of the views of Hebdige on subcultures is the following one: for Hebdige, subcultures are not related to the parents’ style but they are rather influenced by the social and political environment (Dvarionaite 2007, p.9). It is explained that this phenomenon is quite common especially among young people (Dvarionaite 2007, p.9). In this context, in a society where strong social trends for opposing the political system are initiated by young people, then relevant subcultures will appear (Dvarionaite 2007, p.9). In other words, subcultures are not depended on each person’s family environment but on personal experiences and social trends (Dvarionaite 2007, p.9). At this point the following problem appears: if social trends can lead to the creation of subcultures their power to control the ethics governing a specific society is significant. Moreover, since social trends are not always controlled as of their reasoning or their alignment with existing ethics, they can severely threaten the stability of a particular society. Therefore, in societies where subcultures are quite common measures should be taken for ensuring that social life and personal rights are secured. The view of Hebdige that subculture can reflect the resistance against authority could be fully understood through the following two examples: in sports, trends that have the characteristics of subcultures, as described above, are quite common. In music also, a similar phenomenon appears. The potentials of sports and music, as subcultures, to be used for showing resistance against authority are discussed below. 2.2 Fashion as related to the view of Hebdige in regard to subcultural style Fashion can be related to subculture but under a particular term: that a dress style can be regarded as popular among a specific social group and that the culture produced from the above style is not part of the ‘dominant culture’ (Atkinson and Young 2008, p.55). This means that a dress style used by certain people does not necessarily reflect a subculture. For being characterized as a subculture a dress style would have hundreds of supporters across a particular region. Otherwise, it would not be a subculture but rather a local custom (Atkinson and Young 2008, p.55). In other words, ‘widespread distribution’ (Atkinson and Young 2008, p.55) is a decisive criterion for describing a dress style as reflecting a subculture. A similar view is developed in the study of Best (2003). The above researcher refers to the British culture in the era that followed the industrial revolution (Best 2003, p.62). It is noted that in the above period workers adopted a particular style of life, including specific dress styles and music preferences (Best 2003, p.62). Using the view of Hebdige the above trend can be described as a subculture since it was promoted by all members of a particular social class and it did not reflect the dominant, at least up to then, British culture (Best 2003, p.62). Moreover, workers would be expected to promote political systems that would be more favourable for their rights. In this way, workers have been able to develop resistance against Britain’s political system. Thus, the subculture of British workers, as reflected in their dress style and their music preferences, have become a tool of resistance against British authorities. Miller (2011) refers to a similar period. According to Miller (2011) the potential influence of style on social and political life can be made clear by referring to the fashion and music trends of youth in Britain from 1960s onwards. In 1960s and 1970s important cultural trends were developed among young people in Britain (Miller 2011, p.95). ‘Teddy boys, rockers and punks’ (Miller 2011, p.95) were social groups that introduced important changes in British culture, and later in other cultures around the world. All these groups had a common priority: to show, through all aspects of their life, their opposition to the authority (Miller 2011, p.95). These social groups, that attracted millions of young people worldwide, can be used as examples for showing the potential use of style, as reflected in fashion and music preferences, as tools for resistance against authority. The well-known firm Levi’s has emphasized on the development of a dress style that gives the impression of resistance against the system (Shepherd 2003, p.231). Indeed, the firm’s marketing campaigns try to emphasize on the potential adoption by consumers of a particular dress style, the one suggested by the firm, so that the resistance against authority to be reinforced (Shepherd 2003, p.231). Authority in the above case is a term used for showing the high social classes, as mostly involved in the development of each country’s political systems. Young and Atkinson (2008) focused on the view of Hebdige’s in regard to style, as related to subcultures. It is explained that ‘the members of subcultures can develop a particular style giving to each object a unique meaning’ (Young and Atkinson 2008, p.21). It is made clear that objects, when used by the members of subcultures, aim primarily ‘to show the concerns of a group’ (Young and Atkinson 2008, p.11) and support the resistance against authority (Young and Atkinson 2008, p.11). Since the members of a group wish to develop a resistance against authority, the style used by these members, including their dress style, their music preferences and so on, also reflects the resistance against authority (Young and Atkinson 2008, p.11). 2.3 Music and subcultural style as a semiotic form of resistance against authority The interaction between culture and politics is explained in the study of Blake (1998). In the above study it is explained that the relationship between culture and the political system cannot be doubted. Reference is made, as an example, to the one of the ideas of ‘Sardinian communist Antonio Gramsci, the concept of hegemony’ (Blake 1998, p.97). According to Blake (1998) the specific concept is based on the rule that ‘class relations can be considered as negotiations’ (Blake 1998, p.97), meaning probably the negotiations for the promotion of particular interests or views. These negotiations cannot always secure the interests of both parties since each of them is expected to have ‘a different position within society’ (Blake 1998, p.97). It is implied that those who have a higher position in the society would be more able to promote their interests. In this way, culture can be involved in politics. Indeed, in negotiations related to social or political issues, the culture of each of the parties can influence his views and claims (Blake 1998, p.97). The above reasoning could be used for explaining the relationship between music and politics. In fact, the relationship between music and politics can have the following form: when following a specific music trend, as expanded across a particular region, an individual has to adopt a relevant style of life and social behaviour. At this point, music has become a subculture. When being asked to state his views on politics the individual is expected to be influenced by his personal experiences and views, as related to the particular subculture. It is in this context that music, as a subculture, can become a tool for developing resistance against authority. The example of teddy boys, rockers and punks in the Britain of 1960s and 1970s, as explained earlier, verifies the potential use of music for supporting the resistance against authority. Shepherd (2003) refers to the following examples for showing the interaction between music, as a style, and the resistance against authority: a) folk performers need to give the impression to their audience that they support the resistance against authority (Shepherd 2003, p.231); b) rock artists have, also, to promote the resistance against authority (Shepherd 2003, p.231); reference is made, as an example, to Bruce Springsteen (Shepherd 2003, p.231). 3. Conclusion The view of Hebdige that subcultural style can be used as a semiotic form of resistance against authority seems to be fully verified. In fact, the review of the literature that has published in this field leads to the following assumption: subcultural style is a common tool for supporting the resistance against authority. In fashion and music this phenomenon seems to be rather extensive. The relationship between the dress style and the music preferences of teenagers in Britain of 1960s has been mentioned as a critical example. At this point the following issue should be highlighted: even if fashion and music, as styles, can reflect the resistance of individuals against authority, still the actual potential of these individuals to support the opposition against the authority’s rules is not standardized. It seems that usually the resistance against authority is limited to the use of specific styles and it is not developed to a more proactive initiative, such as the dialogue with politicians in regard to one or more critical political decisions. Still, the value of style in reflecting the resistance to authority, as explained in the study of Hebdige and as explained above, cannot be doubted. References Atkinson, M. and Young, K., 2008. Deviance and Social Control in Sport. Champaign: Human Kinetics. Best, S., 2003. A Beginner's Guide to Social Theory. London: SAGE. Blake, A., 1998. The Land Without Music: Music, culture and society in twentieth-century Britain. Manchester: Manchester University Press. During, S., 1999. The Cultural Studies Reader: Second Edition. London: Routledge. Dvarionaite, A., 2007. ‘Subculture’ as a theoretical problem in Cultural Studies. Santa Cruz: GRIN Verlag. Gazzah, M., 2008. Rhythms and Rhymes of Life: Music and Identification Processes of Dutch-Moroccan Youth. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. Miller, J., 2011. Fashion and Music. Oxford: Berg. Muggleton, D. and Weinzierl, R., 2004. The Post-Subcultures Reader. Oxford: Berg. Shepherd, J. (2003). Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World Part 1 Media, Industry, Society. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. Young, K. and Atkinson, M., 2008. Tribal Play: Subcultural Journeys Through Sport. Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing. Read More