Subculture Theories

What is a subculture? A subculture is a group of people within a culture (whether distinct or hidden) which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.

Grant McCracken (The Birmingham School):

McCracken believed that the postmodern world is full of diversity, creativity and dynamic outlooks on societal values and cultures. He believed that one cannot say a subculture derived from the mainstream because they are all too diverse. He said, “There is no mainstream, there are many streams.”

The CCCS:

The CCCS ignores this view as they believe that all subcultures are simply a rebellion against the mainstream. They are the result of modern hegemonic culture of mass consumption dominated by media and commerce.

However, this view has been faced with much criticism. Such as, it presents an overly simplistic opposition between subculture and dominant culture. There is a relative neglect of features such as internal diversity, unlike the Birmingham school who believe in the existence of singular, subversive meanings of subcultural styles which, ultimately, reflected the shared class position of participants.

Dick Hebdige:

Hebdige argued that subcultures should be called ‘little cultures’ because they are deep enough in cultural value to stand up on their own and not be a ‘sub’ of another culture. He argued that a subculture is a subversion to normalcy. He wrote that subcultures can be perceived as negative due to their nature of criticism to the dominant societal standard. Hebdige argued that subcultures bring together like-minded individuals who feel neglected by societal standards and allow them to develop a sense of identity.

 

I disagree with all these theories becuase I don't believe that people should have to be categorized because of their similarities of differences. I acknowledge that people share beliefs and ideas and that is a factor that brings people together, but I don't agree with defining it - limiting what they are to a subculture or little culture or whatever.

Nevertheless, the subculture I shall be focusing on will be the R&B/R&B Ballad subculture.
- Rhythm and Blues subculture originally consisted of African-American and Black-British people. However, nowadays, race within the subculture has widely diversified.
- People within the R&B subculture tend to dress urban, however, it is hard to pin point style because even with the single sunculture there are varied styles and ways of expressing one's self.
- Stereotypically, R&B music videos portray lavish lifestyles, big spending, flash cars and urban styling. Furthermore, they are very often narrative music videos.

From the two music videos below - both R&B music videos - you can see how fashion and music style have changed over time. The first video, Unpretty by the R&B girl group TLC, was released in 1999. The second video, Cater 2 U by the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, was released in 2005.