The Trouble With Counter Culture

This debate considers whether or not the concept of 'counter culture' still exists, exploring its generational development, from the Baby-Boomers to Millennials. Outlining a historical context, from Beats to Punks, touching upon the notion of subcultures, the talk explores at what point subcultures become counter cultural movements, considering the importance of political agendas.

From music to protest, the discussion debates if the transgressive aspects of culture really have been absorbed by the mainstream, or if the 'alternative' still exists. Is it a case of historical idealisation, or that we are not comparing like with like when looking at the current movements and the post-1968 generation? Do we need to look in new places to find the urge to radically change current systems rather than dismissing a contemporary iteration of counter culture?

Moderated by Lucy Robinson, invited speakers include Dan Hancox and Simon Warner.

Dr Lucy Robinson is an author and Lecturer in History at the University of Sussex, working on identity politics and popular culture. A lifelong activist, Lucy was the joint author of a report on young people’s experiences of protest.

Dan Hancox writes for the Guardian, Frieze, Mute, New Inquiry, Salon, The Independent, The National, openDemocracy and others about youth culture, music and politics. His book The Village Against The World is being published by Verso in October 2013. He is @danhancox on Twitter.

Simon Warner is a lecturer, writer and broadcaster on popular music issues. His latest book is Text and Drugs and Rock'n'Roll: The Beats and Rock Culture, which considers the links between the US Beat writers and subsequent rock artists from Bob Dylan to Patti Smith and Kurt Cobain.

Please note this talk will be BSL interpreted.