Subcultural Inclusion and Exclusion

Abstract

Throughout the empirical chapters, I have argued that the authentication of styles and identities has direct consequences for what can be performed, where, as well as what and where it cannot. So far, I have covered how binary pairs such as absence/presence, available/exclusive, proximity/distance, and controlled/open are worked to structure subcultural space, subcultural establishment and development, and the individual movement between the convex and the concave patterns. Still, one crucial question remains in relation to the structuring of the subcultural: What consequences does the subcultural boundary work have for who is included in the subcultural sacred and who is not?

Last night as I was spending time with Jonas, Alex, and their friends, I finally had enough of Jonas’ explicit sexist remarks. These have been a consistent part of my field work the last days, and as we were sitting in his sofa discussing punk in general and the situation in this town particularly, I just could not take it anymore. So when he slipped another “that girl needs a fuck,” I told him to shut up. And so he did, and so did the others. We all sat there quiet until I told him that such remarks are not only denigrating, they also scare female punks off from participating. They all looked at me, all quiet, suddenly they all started laughing. Jonas added; “At times, Erik, you are fucking funny.” (Field notes, Sweden, June 2008)