Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)After wondering for ten years when academia was going to get around to examining straight edge, I was pleasantly surprised to see not one, but two books on the subculture published last year (the other is Ross Haenfler's "Straight Edge"). Wood's study is based on interviews, content analysis of lyrics, and semiotic analysis of symbols, and reads like a good dissertation. It's deeply rooted in subcultural theory, and the central thesis is that straight edge is a such a dynamic subculture that no one flavor of subcultural theory (such as interactionist, Birmingham, etc.) can explain it on its own, but rather that a whole array of tools and theories need to be applied to it.
This is all relatively clearly explained -- for an academic work -- but the examination of identity formation is unlikely to be that fascinating to a general reader who knows little or nothing about straight edge. Personally, I got into straight edge around 1987 and remain so, and the study told me little I wasn't already explicitly or implicitly aware of. The focus of the work is straight edge's constant revisioning, from its birth as an offshoot of punk, to the addition of vegetarian and animal rights, the emergence of "hardline", and even Satanic elements (This satanic linkage was one area that was totally new to me. The other part that gave me something new to think about was Woods' assertion that the Reagan-era "War on Drugs" provided latent cultural support for straight edge. He's very careful to distance himself from any cause and effect pronouncements, but it's a linkage that nonetheless strikes me as more coincidental than anything.)Along the way, the reader gets a concise history of the subculture, along with a selection of quotes from key figures. These are especially useful in the section describing the transition of many straight edge kids into Krishna Consciousness.
On the whole, this is nice volume in subcultural studies using straight edge as a case study, but unlikely to that useful to those seeking a detailed sense of the history or demographics of straight edge. There are lots of questions that aren't addressed: for example, why is straight edge primarily a white middle class male subculture. Why (and how) has it gained a strong presence is some countries (Germany, Japan, and Norway for example), but not others? What are the factors that lead to people "claiming" or "unclaiming" the subculture? How do extreme applications of the subculture, such as the Salt Lake City crew, come about? How do some bands become associated with straight edge even if they aren't? Hopefully Wood will go on to address these more complex aspects of straight edge as he continues his academic career.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Straightedge Youth: Complexity and Contradictions of a Subculture
A comprehensive examination of the history and social dynamics of straightedge youth through the rich diversity of this punk influenced subculture.Emerging out of the American punk rock scene of the early 1980s, straightedge youth have held their ground and made important inroads on the broader terrain of American youth culture for the last twenty-five years. Known primarily for their militant opposition to drinking, drug use, and casual sex, as well as for their commitment to vegetarian and vegan lifestyles, straightedge youth have received little scholarly attention, and then primarily through studies focused on the larger subcultural framework of punk rock. Robert T. Wood presents the first theoretical and in-depth treatment of the straightedge culture.Drawing on interviews with founding members and current straightedge youth, content analysis of the music lyrics, and straightedge "zines," Wood places the movement within the context of contemporary subcultural theory and the framework of cultural studies.Identifying straightedge as a movement whose cultural boundaries have transformed over time, Wood explores the ways in which the group members' diverse and often contradictory self-understanding has contributed to the movement's evolution. Wood details the complexities of the subculture from its origins in Washington, D.C., through the emergence of schismatic straightedge factions and the adoption of animal rights and vegetarian agendas. This book offers an excellent introduction for those interested in the sociology of punk rock and its subcultures and will be an invaluable resource for sociologists and straightedge adherents.
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