Fight back

Fight back examines the different ways punk – as a youth/subculture – may provide space for political expression and action. Fight back examines the different ways by which punk – as a youth/subculture – continues to provide space for political expression and action. Bringing together scholars from a range of academic disciplines (history, sociology, cultural studies, politics, English and music), it showcases innovative research into the diverse ways in which punk has been used and interpreted. The essays contained within Fight back are divided into three overarching themes: identity, locality and communication. These, in turn, cover subjects relating to questions of class, age and gender; the relationship between punk and national/local socio-political contexts; and the ways by which punk’s meaning has been expressed from within the subculture and, simultaneously, reflected by the media. The book’s objective is to advance general and scholarly understanding of punk and youth culture more broadly. It seeks to reveal the importance of youth culture as a site of political expression and to stimulate scholarly interest in the relationship between subcultures, popular music and social change. Among its contributors are Professor Hilary Pilkington (University of Manchester), Professor Bill Osgerby (London Metropolitan University), Matthew Worley (University of Reading) and Jon Savage, whose book, England’s Dreaming: Sex Pistols and Punk Rock (1991) remains the definitive account of punk’s emergence. Fight back examines the different ways punk – as a youth/subculture – may provide space for political expression and action. Bringing together scholars from a range of academic disciplines (history, sociology, cultural studies, politics, English, music), it showcases innovative research into the diverse ways in which punk may be used and interpreted. The essays are concerned with three main themes: identity, locality and communication. These, in turn, cover subjects relating to questions of class, age and gender; the relationship between punk, locality and socio-political context; and the ways in which punk’s meaning has been expressed from within the subculture and reflected by the media. Jon Savage, the foremost commentator and curator of punk’s cultural legacy, provides an afterword on punk’s impact and dissemination from the 1970s to the present day.