Analysis & Research into Youth & Subcultures

Grant McCracken:
Grant McCracken is an anthropologist, blogger and author. A member of Convergence Culture Consortium at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, McCracken has authored several books, including Transformations (2008), Flock and Flow (2006), Culture and Consumption II (2005), Big Hair (1996), and Culture and Consumption (1988). He believes the following; the postmodern world is full of diversity, dynamism and creativity. McCracken says if we look at the array of values and ideologies then we can’t say all subcultures can come from one main culture.
CCCS (Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies):
The Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) was a research centre at the University of Birmingham, England. It was founded in 1964 by Richard Hoggart, its first director. Its object of study was the then new field of cultural studies. The CCCS totally disagrees with McCracken’s theory. This belief is that all subcultures down the line all stem from one major culture.
Hebdige:
Hebdige (born 1951) is an expatriate British media theorist and sociologist most commonly associated with the study of subcultures, and its resistance against the mainstream of society. He received his M.A. from the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies in Birmingham, United Kingdom. He is best known for his influential book in sub cultural studies, Subculture: The Meaning of Style originally published in 1979. He is currently a professor of film and media studies and art at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Hebdige believes deep down all cultures are similar.
Dyers Star Theory:
Dyers star theory explains two paradoxes both of which relate to an artist’s performance and success.
Paradox One – Dyer explains that a music artist must be both ordinary and extraordinary. Ordinary so that the audience can relate to the artist and extraordinary to make them stand out from the crowd.
Paradox Two – Dyer also explains that the artist must be absent and present at the same time. Absent so that the audience craves for the artists material and present so the public don’t forget the artist.