Goth: Identity, Style and Subculture (Dress, Body, Culture)

goths Represent One Of The Most Arresting, Distinctive And Enduring Subcultures Of Recent Times. The Dedication Of Those Involved To A Lifestyle Which, From The Outside, May Appear Dark And Sinister, Has Spawned Reactions Ranging From Admiration To Alarm. Until Now, No One Has Conducted A Full-scale Ethnographic Study Of This Fascinating Subcultural Group. Based On Extensive Research By An 'insider', This Is The First. Immersing Us In The Potent Mix Of Identities, Practices And Values That Make Up The Goth Scene, The Author Takes Us Behind The Faade Of The Goth Mystique. From Dress And Musical Tastes To Social Habits And The Use Of The Internet, Hodkinson Details The Inner Workings Of This Intriguing Group. Defying Postmodern Theories That Claim Media And Commerce Break Down Substantive Cultural Groupings, Hodkinson Shows How Both Have Been Used By Goths To Retain, And Even Strengthen, Their Group Identity.hodkinson Provides A Comprehensive Reworking Of Subcultural Theory, Making A Key Contribution To The Disciplines Of Sociology, Cultural Studies, Youth Studies, Media Studies, And Popular Music Studies. Readable And Accessible, This Groundbreaking Book Presents A Unique Chance To Engage With A Contemporary, Spectacular Culture. Goths represent one of the most arresting, distinctive and enduring subcultures of recent times. The dedication of those involved to a lifestyle which, from the outside, may appear dark and sinister, has spawned reactions ranging from admiration to alarm. Until now, no one has conducted a full-scale ethnographic study of this fascinating subcultural group. Based on extensive research by an 'insider', this is the first. Immersing us in the potent mix of identities, practices and values that make up the goth scene, the author takes us behind the faade of the goth mystique. From dress and musical tastes to social habits and the use of the internet, Hodkinson details the inner workings of this intriguing group. Defying postmodern theories that claim media and commerce break down substantive cultural groupings, Hodkinson shows how both have been used by goths to retain, and even strengthen, their group identity. Hodkinson provides a comprehensive reworking of subcultural theory, making a key contribution to the disciplines of sociology, cultural studies, youth studies, media studies, and popular music studies. Readable and accessible, this groundbreaking book presents a unique chance to engage with a contemporary, spectacular culture. Goths represent one of the most arresting, distinctive and enduring subcultures of recent times. The dedication of those involved to a lifestyle which, from the outside, may appear dark and sinister, has spawned reactions ranging from admiration to a larm. Until now, no one has conducted a full-scale ethnographic study of this fascinating subcultural group. Based on extensive research by an 'insider', this is the first. Immersing us in the potent mix of identities, practices and values that make up the goth scene, the author takes us behind the faade of the goth mystique. From dress and music. Preliminaries......Page 1 Contents......Page 5 List of Illustrations......Page 7 Acknowledgements......Page 9 From Participant to Researcher......Page 11 Reworking Subculture......Page 19 Goth as a Subcultural Style......Page 45 Insiders and Outsiders......Page 75 Events Friendships and Commitment......Page 95 Buying Goth Subcultural Shopping......Page 141 Communicating Goth Traditional Media......Page 163 Communicating Goth On line Media......Page 185 Concluding Thoughts......Page 205 Appendix Quantitative Questionnaire Results......Page 209 Bibliography......Page 213 Index......Page 225 From Participant To Researcher -- Reworking Subculture -- Goth As A Subcultural Style -- Insiders And Outsiders -- Events, Friendships And Commitment -- Selling Goth? : The Producers Of Subcultures -- Buying Goth : Subcultural Shopping -- Communicating Goth : 'traditional' Media -- Communicating Goth : On-line Media -- Concluding Thoughts. Paul Hodkinson. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 203-213) And Index. Goths represent one of the most enduring subcultures of recent times. The dedication of those involved in a lifestyle which, from the outside, may appear sinister, has spawned reactions ranging from admiration to alarm. This work is a full-scale study of this fascinating group by an insider Goths represent one of the most arresting, distinctive and enduring subcultures. From dress and musical tastes to social habits and the use of the internet, this book details the inner workings of this intriguing group.