📖2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Last updated
Last updated
Before delving into the project's core - creating the working ontology - we recognized the need for a thorough theoretical foundation. After extensively reviewing the literature on Subcultural Theory, we identified key theories and concepts that will shape our sociological framework for the knowledge representation system.
Subcultural Studies have been significant in Sociology since the early 1900s, beginning with the Chicago School, where youth subcultures were often linked to gangs and criminality. Early research simplified these phenomena as reactions against dominant cultural values (Cohen A. 1955). However, this model soon became outdated, shifting focus to England.
Notably, the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) at Birmingham University conducted influential research from the 1960s to the early 2000s. What makes the CCCS's approach particularly suited for our purpose is its focus on the semiotics of Style, intended as the union of dress, music, ritual, and argot (Cohen P. 2007). Another vital concept from CCCS scholars, like Hebdige and Clarke, is resistance, highlighting the tension between youth subcultures and cultural hegemony. This dichotomy enriches our ontology by introducing two distinct perspectives: insiders and outsiders (Williams 2006; Widdicombe 1993).
Additionally, Hall’s Encoding/Decoding theory has proven essential for understanding how narratives about subcultures are established. By applying this model, we can deconstruct the role of television as a primary source of information on the topic (Moore, 2005), thereby linking the outsider perspective to the mainstream media's communication process. Encoding - message production - is influenced by the dominant culture, while decoding - audience interpretation - varies based on personal beliefs. Audiences may fully accept the dominant-hegemonic position, question the predominant view, or oppose the authority's values. This premise clarifies the correlation between stereotypes creation in the external perspective and the media's encoding process.
