Subculture

'The cultural turn' has failed to produce an effective revision of the concept of subculture. This timely and illuminating book reverses this situation providing a much needed revision of this important concept. It traces subculture back to its foundations in the works of Tonnies and Durkheim and, to a lesser extent, Marx and Weber. The discussion then moves on to an analysis of subculture in American urban sociology and criminology, through the traditions of the Chicago School and structural functionalism, and on to the ground-breaking work of Stuart Hall and the Birmingham School. Subculture evaluates the continuing relevance of the concept for sociology and the study of culture today.