The Interdisciplinary Network for the Study of Subcultures, Popular Music and Social Change [Subcultures Network]

The riots of 2011 brought youth culture to the forefront of public debate. In particular, they reignited long-running concerns as to political and social disengagement amongst young people. The Subcultures Network is therefore designed to grapple with and inform such debate by:

1) bringing together academics and non-academic organisations to discuss and disseminate research into questions of youth culture, politics and social cohesion;

2) to augment on-going social science research into subcultures, popular music and social change by introducing historical analysis and perspectives.

The Subcultures Network was initiated by Professor Matthew Worley (University of Reading) and comprises scholars from a range of academic disciplines located at institutions throughout the UK. It emerged in tandem with a conference on 'Subcultures, Popular Music and Social Change' held in September 2011, to which over 120 researchers from four different continents attended, and has since organised a workshop at the University of Wolverhampton (November 2011) to provide material for a special issue of Contemporary British History (26:3, 2012) on 'youth culture, popular music and the end of "consensus" in post-war Britain'. As this suggests, the Network has proven itself an important conduit for cross-disciplinary research - but funding is required to build on this and extend the Network's reach and potential.

The current proposal relates to the AHRC's core theme of 'connected communities' and is centred on five interlinking themes: youth activism and popular culture; the relationship between popular music and cultural identity; the 'spaces' in which sub- and youth cultural identity are forged; the links between politics and youth culture; the transmission of subcultural styles across local and national territories. These will be discussed over five symposia, featuring academic and non-academic participants from the Democratic Audit, IARS, the Bristol Music Archive, Sophie Lancaster Foundation and National Youth Agency. Each symposium will preview on-going research and identify potential new agendas and research methods based on collaboration across academic disciplines. Towards the end of the Network's schedule, plans will be made to hold an international conference at the University of Reading to showcase the work generated by the symposia and to open up further avenues of enquiry, debate and collaboration.

With regard to dissemination, the Network will establish and maintain a website to include summaries of research papers, reports of the symposia, forums and links to related resources. It will post announcements of work in progress and develop contacts to and within the Network as they form over the course of the project. The symposia will facilitate a number of articles (some collaborative) and material for a special issue of the IARS' Youth Voice Journal. The project will also provide material for a pamphlet on 'youth culture and politics' for publication by the Democratic Audit in preparation for the 2015 general election. Finally, an edited collection of papers will be drawn from the symposia on the theme of youth, cultural identity and politics.

Who will benefit from the research?
This project feeds into many of the RCUK's and AHRC's core themes and impact criteria. In particular, the project relates to: a) connected communities, via its exploration of social and cultural connections within society and the changing needs of communities; b) public policy and community cohesion with regard to the political engagement and socio-cultural development of youth; c) enhancing public participation through its website and efforts to make the Network's research publicly available and relevant to on-going debates within the media and politics. More specifically, the events organised by the Network will inform debate on aspects of social policy, political participation and cultural cohesion.

To this end, the project will benefit:

1) Think tanks and research organizations committed to promoting research into the quality and effectiveness of UK democracy and forging
community-led solutions to problems of social inequality, particularly among young people;
2) Charities and local organisations dedicated to advancing cultural cohesion and providing a voice for young people in society;
3) Policy makers engaged in youth welfare and issues of political engagement among young people;
4) Disaffected young people who feel they are denied a political voice or place within mainstream society

How might they benefit from the research?
By focusing on questions of political engagement and cultural cohesion, the Network will illuminate problems and offer explanations to inform the development of public policy. With regard to criminal justice and stay-safe policy areas, the Network's research will:

1) suggest answers to why young people acted in the ways they did during the 2011 riots;

2) provide a better understanding of how young people use virtual spaces and the associated dangers and opportunities thereof.

In terms of community cohesion, the Network will help policy makers understand how youth (sub) cultures change and have changed as a result of technology, thereby suggesting ways in which government policy should approach and adapt. Finally, with regard to democratic engagement, the Network will explore the diverse ways by which young people express their politics and thereby offer suggestions as to how mainstream parties and organisations can engage with young people in order to improve democratic participation at all levels in society.