Theoretical perspectives of Youth Cultures: Marxist

Understanding of Youth Culture

In the Marxist view, youth culture is a product of the socio-economic conditions created by capitalism.
Karl Marx believed that economic factors shape a society’s superstructure, which includes culture.
From a Marxist perspective, youth cultures are shaped by young people’s material circumstances, particularly their place within the capitalist system.

Marxists argue that capitalism plays a significant role in constructing youth cultures.
They suggest that corporate interests exploit the desires and identities of young people to generate profit.
Examples include industries like fashion, music, and technology, which commodify youth cultural trends and lifestyles.

Marxists see youth culture as an area of conflict, mainly between the working-class youth, who are broadly seen as being more rebellious, and the ruling classes.
Some Marxists argue that youth subcultures offer a form of resistance to the capitalist system, providing a space for rebellion against societal norms.
However, others argue that youth subcultures ironically reinforce the capitalist system, as their activities and styles help fuel consumer culture and capitalist profit-making.

Marxists also consider how social class shapes youth cultures and young people’s behaviours and values.
They believe that capitalist societies create social structures that disadvantage working-class youth, leading to certain subcultures that rebel against societal norms.
Marxists also consider how societal power structures shape youth cultures and young people’s expectations.

The concept of hegemony, which describes the dominance of certain ideologies, forms part of the Marxist analysis of youth cultures.
The dominant ideology - mainly capitalist values and ideas - is disseminated through social institutions, affecting the attitudes, behaviours, and values among young people.
Youth culture, from this viewpoint, can be seen as either a challenge to this dominant ideology or an unwitting reflection of it.

Critics argue that Marxist theories overly emphasise conflict and fail to acknowledge the diversity and complexity of youth cultures.
They suggest that not all youth cultures are shaped by class struggle or influenced heavily by capitalist ideologies.
Critics also note that youth cultures are not always reactive or oppositional but can also be proactive in creating new societal norms and ideas.