From Subcultures to Scenes and Neo-Tribes
The post-subcultural critique that replaces stable, class-based subcultures with fluid, fragmentary concepts of scene, neo-tribe and lifestyle.
Definition
Post-subcultural theory is an approach that rejects the fixed, class-anchored notion of subculture in favour of concepts such as neo-tribe, scene and lifestyle, which describe loose, shifting and largely consumption-based forms of youth affiliation.
Scope
This topic covers the body of work, often labelled post-subcultural theory, that questions the Birmingham model of subcultures. It examines the argument that contemporary youth affiliations are fluid, consumer-driven and detached from class, and surveys the alternative vocabularies proposed — neo-tribes, scenes and lifestyles. It traces the shift from a structuralist, resistance-based account toward more postmodern and consumption-oriented frameworks.
Core questions
- Why have critics argued that the classic subculture concept no longer fits contemporary youth culture?
- What do the concepts of neo-tribe and scene add or change?
- How does post-subcultural theory reposition consumption and the media?
- What is lost as well as gained in abandoning the class-resistance model?
Key concepts
- neo-tribe
- scene
- lifestyle
- post-subculture
- fluidity
- individualisation
Key theories
- Neo-tribes
- Drawing on Maffesoli, Bennett argues that youth affiliations are better understood as fluid, temporary 'neo-tribes' based on shared taste and sociality rather than as fixed, class-based subcultures.
- Postmodern style
- Muggleton contends that contemporary subculturalists are individualistic, stylistically eclectic and resistant to fixed labels, undermining the coherent, homologous subculture of Birmingham theory.
- After subculture
- Bennett and Kahn-Harris gather critiques and alternatives, assessing the concepts of scene, tribe and lifestyle and debating whether 'subculture' should be retained, revised or abandoned.
History
From the late 1990s a generation of researchers argued that the Birmingham model overstated coherence, resistance and class. Maffesoli's notion of neo-tribalism (1996) supplied a key resource; Bennett's 1999 article and Muggleton's Inside Subculture (2000) advanced the critique, and the collection After Subculture (2004) consolidated the post-subcultural turn while keeping debate over the concept's continued usefulness open.
Debates
- Retain or replace 'subculture'
- Whether the concept of subculture should be abandoned in favour of looser terms, or whether the post-subcultural turn underplays persisting class inequalities and group coherence.
Key figures
- Andy Bennett
- David Muggleton
- Keith Kahn-Harris
- Michel Maffesoli
Related topics
Seminal works
- maffesoli1996
- bennett1999
- muggleton2000
- bennettkahnharris2004
Frequently asked questions
- What is a 'neo-tribe'?
- Borrowed from sociologist Michel Maffesoli, a neo-tribe is a loose, fluid grouping held together by shared feeling, taste or lifestyle rather than by class or a permanent identity. People may move between many such tribes, joining and leaving them freely.