1st Edition

Punk in Russia Cultural mutation from the “useless” to the “moronic”

    238 Pages 55 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    238 Pages 52 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Punk culture is currently having a revival worldwide and is poised to extend and mutate even more as youth unemployment and youth alienation increase in many countries of the world. In Russia, its power to have an impact and to shock is well illustrated by the state response to activist collective and punk band Pussy Riot. This book, based on extensive original research, examines the nature of punk culture in contemporary Russia. Drawing on interviews and observation, it explores the vibrant punk music scenes and the social relations underpinning them in three contrasting Russian cities. It relates punk to wider contemporary culture and uses the Russian example to discuss more generally what constitutes 'punk' today.

    1. Punk, but Not as we Know it: Rethinking Punk from a Post-Socialist Perspective Hilary Pilkington  2. The Evolution of Punk in Russia Ivan Gololobov and Yngvar B. Steinholt  3. St Petersburg: Big City - Small Scenes Yngvar B. Steinholt, Ivan Gololobov and Hilary Pilkington  4. Krasnodar: Perpendicular Culture in the Biggest Village on Earth Ivan Gololobov  5. Vorkuta: A Live Scene in a ‘Rotting City’ Hilary Pilkington  6. Conclusion Hilary Pilkington, Ivan Gololobov and Yngvar B. Steinholt

    Biography

    Ivan Gololobov is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Sociology at the University of Warwick, UK

    Hilary Pilkington is Professor of Sociology at the University of Manchester, UK

    Yngvar B Steinholt is an Associate Professor in the Institute of Literature and Culture at Tromsǿ University, Norway

    "We can confidently say that the ethnographies here support the general anthropological positions that culture is locally (in place and time) constructed, embodied, contested, and unstable, with no timeless 'essence' but only specific shifting formations. Bringing these insights to Russia and to music is a worthwhile task that scholars and students alike should find enlightening." Jack David Eller Anthropology Review Database