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Subcultures--social groups organized around shared interests and practices can take many forms. From the 1950s juvenile delinquent as portrayed by Elvis, James Dean and Marlon Brando to Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle, from 1970s punk rockers Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten to 90s angst-ridden Kurt Cobain and Henry Rollins, from fans of Star Trek to the current crowd of internet surfers, subcultures define themselves in opposition to others-- workers, "achievers," "squares" and the "mainstream." They also differentiate among themselves and in doing so, create hierarchies of participation, knowledge and taste. Subcultures carve out their own territories, in both public and private spaces.

Arranged in a similar manner to Routledge's successful Cultural Studies Reader, all essays have been specially selected and edited for inclusion, and are grouped in sections, each with an editor's introduction. The general introduction maps out the field of subcultural studies, illustrating how subcultures have been explored from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including social history, anthropology, cultural studies and media.

The Subcultures Reader brings together the most valuable and stimulating writings on subcultures, from work of the early work of the Chicago School to the present work being done by theorists such as Simon Frith, Marjorie Garber, Dick Hebdige and Lawrence Grossberg. It provides an essential guide to the field, enabling readers to understand how subcultural studies developed, the range of work it encompasses, and the future direction for the study of subcultures.

Contributors:Howard Becker, Marcos Becquer, Gary Clark, John Clarke, Albert K. Cohen, Phil Cohen, Stanley Cohen, Paul G. Cressey, Douglas Crimp, Barbara Ehrenreich, Wendy Fonarow, William Foote Whyte, Simon Frith, T.R. Gyvel, Marjorie Garber, Jose Gatti, Paul Gilroy, Kevin Goffman, Milton Gordon, Lawrence Grossberg, Elizabeth Hess, John Irwin, Gloria Jacobs, Henry Jenkins, Dave Laing, George Lipsitz, Angela McRobbie, Peter Marsh, Kobena Mercer, Robert E. Park, Geoffrey Pearson, Ned Polsky, Elisabeth Rosser, Gayle Rubin, Will Straw, Peter Stallybrass, Samuel Surace, Sarah Thornton, Andrew Tolson, Ralph Turner, Stephen A. Tyler, Robert Walser, Alison White, Jock Young.