Some scholars have argued that subculture is an outdated concept. They suggest current social realities have replaced subcultures with more temporary phenomena– scenes and (neo-)tribes. Did subcultures really go out of fashion with polyester leisure suits? Find out here!
If you do not have access to Sociology, you can download the submitted version of the article linked above, “Modified People: Indicators of a Body Modification Subculture in a Post-Subculture World.”
Do subcultures want to be part of the mainstream culture, or do they wish to remain separated from the rest? It really depends on the subculture in question. What about a body modification subculture? You might think they’s be happy about the fact that tattoos and piercings are spreading across Western society, but I found that this is not necessarily the case. To learn how members of a body modification subculture try to maintain group boundaries, please check out my article in the International Journal of Cultural Studies. If you don’t have access to IJCS, you can still find out about the group conflicts that help maintain subcultural boundaries by reading the submitted version of “Subcultural Boundary Maintenance in a Virtual Community for Body Modification Enthusiasts.”
Derek Roberts, PhD 