Punk Identities, Punk Utopias

Punk Identities, Punk Utopias: Global Punk and Media seeks to unpack and illuminate punk as a trajectory of ‘timelesness…as a set of diverse but confluent values and appropriations’ that have both reflected and informed an increasingly complex, indefinable social, political and economic setting. Whereas the first two volumes in the series were broadly focused on local punk ‘scenes’ in a disparate range of countries and regions around the world, Punk Identities, Punk Utopias extends that critical enquiry to reflect broader social, political and technological concerns impacting punk scenes around the world, from digital technology and new media to gender, ethnicity, identity and representation. This new volume therefore draws upon the interdisciplinary areas of cultural studies, musicology and social sciences to present an edited text on the notion of identities, ideologies and cultural discourse surrounding contemporary global punk scenes. It is hoped that the books in the Global Punk series will add to the academic discussion of contemporary popular culture, particularly in relation to punk and the critical understanding of transnational and cross-cultural dialogue.

Punk is a global phenomenon and the Global Punk series aims to reflect contemporary scenes around the world since the millennium. Punk and its subsequent variants, from hardcore to post-punk, have always crossed borders and become assimilated within countercultural practices with local, national and regional variations.

Produced in collaboration between the Punk Scholars Network and Intellect Books, the Global Punk book series focuses on the development of contemporary global punk (c. 2000 onwards), reflecting upon its origins, aesthetics, identity, legacy, membership and circulation. Critical approaches draw upon the interdisciplinary areas of (among others) cultural studies, art and design, sociology, musicology and social sciences in order to develop a broad and inclusive picture of punk and punk-inspired subcultural developments around the globe. The series adopts an essentially analytical perspective, raising questions about the dissemination of punk scenes and subcultures and their form, structure and contemporary cultural significance in the daily lives of an increasing number of people around the world.

This book has a genuine crossover appealed. It will be a key resource for established academics, postdoctoral researchers and Ph.D. students, as well as being suitable for adoption as an undergraduate student textbook. Suitable courses will include those in the fields of popular music, youth culture, sociology, urban/cultural geography, political history, heritage studies, media and cultural studies.

Matt Grimes is a senior lecturer and researcher in music industries and radio at Birmingham City University’s School of Media.

Russ Bestley is reader in graphic design at London College of Communication.

Mike Dines is a lecturer of music at Middlesex University.

Alastair Gordon is a senior lecturer of media and communication at De Montfort University, Leicester.

Paula Guerra is professor of sociology at the University of Porto.