Abstract: This ethnographic study compares and contrasts performative masculinities of the overwhelmingly male heavy metal (HM) and hardcore (HC) subcultures. Conclusions derived from this research indicate the following: identities associated with HM and HC conflate masculinity with working-classness, HM and HC identities (and thus masculinities) are merging at present; participation in HM and HC enclaves can serve to symbolically marginalize constituents, and this symbolic marginalization can result in repercussions in the lived world outside of subculture; the hegemonic masculinity of HM and HC subcultures is subsidiary hegemonic masculinity, meaning that it supports the male-dominated structure of mainstream culture without empowering HM and HC males in an extra-subcultural sense; and that despite these negative ramifications, HM and HC participants still find the shared identities and community interaction of these enclaves to be empowering. Keywords: heavy metal, hardcore, subculture, masculinity, performativity, gender, class, ideology, rock music, identity

MP3 blogs and their aggregators, which have risen to prominence over the past four years, are presenting an alternative way of promoting and discovering new music. I will argue that MP3 files greatly affect MP3 blogs in terms of shaping them as: a genre separate from general weblogs and music blogs without MP3s, especially due to the impact of MP3 blog aggregators such as The Hype Machine and Elbows; a particular form of rhetoric illuminated by Kenneth Burke's dramatistic ratios of agency-purpose, purpose-act and scene-act; and as a potentially subversive subculture, which like other subcultures, exists in a symbiotic relationship with the traditional media it defines itself against. Using excerpts from multiple MP3 blogs and their forums, interviews with MP3 bloggers and Anthony Volodkin (creator of The Hype Machine), references to MP3 blogs in traditional press, and Burke's theory of dramatism and Hodge and Kress's theories of social semiotics, I will demonstrate that the MP3 file is not only changing the way music is consumed and circulated, but also the way music is promoted and discussed.

This thesis examines the genesis of the derogative emo kid representation and considers the latent functions it initially served in being applied to visible categories of adolescent subculturalists on the behalf of participants within the wider punk subculture. Pulling from the work of Stanley Cohen in arguing that the emo kid representation be conceptualized as a subcultural folk-devil, this thesis argues for the applicability of a Bourdieuian theoretical framework in understanding the means in which subcultural authenticity is not only distributed throughout fields of subcultural participation, but within those spheres of communicative entertainment media in which subcultural knowledge is created, legitimized and disseminated. In offering a Foucaultian genealogy of the niche-mediated emo pseudo-genre, and highlighting its correlation with concurrent movements perceived as facilitating the mainstream colonization of the punk subculture, this thesis argues that the emo kid folk-devil was constructed and reified by virtue of an array of discursive measures based largely in online, micro-mediated forums - through which punk subculturalists vied to marginalize those emo kids so perceived as threatening the exclusivity of the punk subculture and the long-established symbolic economies contained therein. Finally, this thesis demonstrates the process through which this subcultural folk-devil was annexed into a wider socio-discourse concerning dangerous youth populations and, thus, came to be utilized in collusion with mass-mediated campaigns meant to perpetuate the political disempowerment of adolescent populations through the endorsement of representational politics.

High accessibility to internet technology and popularization of focus media has given rise to various emerging subcultures among the younger generation who constantly seek novelty and unique lifestyles. The Otaku subculture is one such adolescent subculture, a culture of avid ACG (animation, comic, games) collectors, while pop music fans belong to another youth subculture deeply involved in gathering and tracking the lives and performances of pop music stars. As the adolescent is becoming the most purchasing power consumer group of fashion product, this research aims at comparing the traits of the above two adolescent subcultures and their influences on buying behavior tendencies toward subculture-specific merchandises. This research is also attempting to develop an analytical model through comparison of two studies. The research framework is constructed based on the assumption that the traits of adolescent subcultures influence the subculture-specific consumptions and is examined on two studies of Otaku and pop music fans subcultures respectively. The same investigation methods are applied in two studies. First, the review of prior studies and findings of focus group interview with sample of five representative adolescents were integrated into a tentative model. Then, the questionnaire was developed based on the tentative model and the focus group interview findings, and sample of survey in two studies are 105 and 101 respectively. Survey data were examined by factor analysis and structural equation modeling for the verification of the tentative model, and finally a revised model is developed based on comparison of two studies results. Results show that the personality, values and lifestyle of subculture¡¦s main traits dimensions influence their buying behavior, although the Otaku and pop music fans take part in different activities and embrace different personality traits and values. The results also verify a feasible generalized analytical model for measuring the influences of the traits of specific adolescent subcultures on their buying behavior. This research offers some implications for consumer behavior and marketing communication including (1) comprehensive customer investigation is needed to understand what adolescents think and want; (2) providing attractive content and (3) adopting modern media to attract and access adolescent subculture group; (4) marketing communication appeals should match adolescents self-images to get their identification; and (5) providing total subculture solution in integrated marketing programs.

This thesis aims to analyze the humour magazines L-Manyak and Lombak as constituting a shift in the tradition of humour magazines in Turkey. It evaluates these magazines in their historical, political and cultural contexts. It argues that regardless of their apolitical stance, these magazines have an attitude of symbolic resistance to the the signifying practices of the dominant culture, like a youth subculture. It discusses the humour style of these magazines in terms of their relationship with the neighbourhood of Cihangir / American underground comix, Punk subculture and Bakhtin&rsquo / s concept of grotesque realism. The study also analyzes the position of these magazines in the culture industry of Turkey and claims that their content have been gradually appropriated by the market and turned into convenient products for reconsumption.

The purpose of this study is to examine the bonds that form between people as consumers of popular visual media and to discuss the relationship and impact of the resulting subcultures on the larger culture. Star Wars costumers offer a magnified glance at some of the ways in which people engage with images. As reflections of popular culture, costumers display their textual devotions and opinions; they embody spectatorship by reincarnating their favorite characters and contexts from text-bound sources. Moreover, they embrace modes of visual representation by performing the roles of both image consumer and image producer. I strive to understand the activities shared by audiences after the viewing experience is over; they are highly articulate interpreting media texts in a variety of interesting and unexpected ways. Whether they impart opinions or pursue alternative relationships with some aspect of the text, people do form communities and celebrate their connections to visual texts. As fans, individuals appropriate movie materials to fulfill personal goals and build social connections. While not all-encompassing, these smaller communities say a lot about the social impact of movies---the impact of images on individuals. This thesis combines an ethnographic study of Star Wars costumers within a theoretical framework of cultural studies and performance to investigate the ways in which media images impact individuals. In documenting events from the perspective of the costumer, I seek to understand the costumer as a member of a visual audience, a reflection of popular culture, and a participant in the dominant culture.

Culture is studied across many different disciplines and is viewed as a topic of great and valuable interest within research. Agricultural education has come to recognize the value of embracing a multicultural attitude and the need for recruitment of culturally diverse individuals. While definitions of culture can vary from individual to individual, understanding the degree which a topic has been researched within a discipline is necessary in order to know what direction future research should take. Therefore, this study presents the findings of research on culture within the Journal of Agricultural Education from 1960-2015. This study’s findings indicate that culture, as defined as a way of life that outlines how an individual acts, perceives, and believes, has been researched on a very limited basis within the Journal of Agricultural Education. However, findings also indicate that many tenets of culture have been researched and include diversity, multicultural education, inclusion, and teacher preparation. These findings lead to recommendations to expand the research within the topic of culture to include social aspects of culture and youth cultures.

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published_or_final_version / Sociology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / Criminology / Master / Master of Social Sciences