Dis pa tc h f  rom  th e E n d o f th e W or  ld

ClaSs OveRVIEW

At its inception in the mid-1970s, punk was theorized as a white, working-class youth “subculture.” Today punk is recognized as a global cultural phenomenon thriving in places far removed from its points of genesis in North America and northern Europe. Scholars and punks alike have long noted adherences to independent cultural production and do-it-yourself ethics as unifying, albeit contested, principles undergirding punk scenes. What do these ethics look like, and what types of friction with dominant cultural practices are created by diverse punk scenes around the world? In this class, we explore what it means to be a punk in the 21st century and the implications of global punk. Drawing from interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks and diverse case studies, the course unpacks issues of politics, globalization, gender dynamics, and power structures using punk as the centerpiece of exploration.

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