Musical Scenes and Social Class

“This book seeks to rethink much of the mythology that has grown around the two genres regarding their status as ‘working-class’ styles. International in scope, interdisciplinary in method, Musical Scenes and Social Class is essential reading for anyone seeking to better understand the social character of popular music genres.” — Steve Waksman, author of This Ain’t the Summer of Love: Conflict and Crossover in Heavy Metal and Punk, USA “This is an essential collection of essays, unpicking and critiquing the cultural, sonic, political and aesthetic dimensions of punk and metal. Through comparative analysis, new insights are made.” —Matthew Worley, author of No Future: Punk, Politics and British Youth Culture, 1976–1984 University of Reading, UK “In a fragmentation and large-scale social crisis context, this volume takes up the debate between punk and metal and class belonging, showing us the interrelations between practices and their determination by social belongings. A vital feature of the book is the demonstration of the self-renewal of punk and metal. The irreverence, resistance, and personification of subaltern and paradoxical identities portrayed here represent a step forward “ —Paula Guerra, KISMIF Co-Convenor, University of Porto, Portugal Early analysts of both punk and metal have shown their continuing popularity for segments of the public who were often considered in the 1970s and 1980s as “losers of globalization” despite the level of fragmentation of these scenes, the diversity of their audiences’ backgrounds, and their constant evolution and re-invention. This volume aims to stimulate and contribute to debates on social class and economic and cultural change, on one side, and punk and metal, on the other, through international, contemporary and historical approaches, mainly focused on Britain and France. Romain Garbaye is Professor of British Studies at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle. His research focuses on the history of immigration and citizenship in the United Kingdom, as well as on the history of British rock music. Gérôme Guibert is Professor of Sociology at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle. He is a popular music studies scholar and an ISMMS (International Society for Metal Music Studies) board Member.