Youth Culture in Late Modernity

"Youth Culture and Late Modernity is a scholarly text. It is firmly anchored historically and presents a range of informed theoretical perspectives." --Howard Williamson, School of Social and Administrative Studies, University of Wales, Cardiff The youth of contemporary Western societies are often regarded as a culture apart, defined and distanced by their conspicuous choices in music, fashion, and myriad other elements; yet even these distinctions may become so strongly identified that they simply represent an alternative conformity. In Youth Culture in Late Modernity, the phenomena of age-related subcultures are assayed from development to consequence. Authors Johan Fornäs and Göran Bolin explore the relationship between youth culture and the greater society, from the origins of a youth culture's characterizing trends to the effects--both positive and negative--such trends may produce. The contradictory nature of such mass individualism is also considered, balancing the commercialism of mass consumption against the potential for rebellion against prevailing social norms. This innovative work is essential reading for students of cultural studies and communications, and for all those across the humanities and social sciences interested in the nature and dynamics of youth culture.