After Subculture: The Basics

Subcultures: The Basics by Ross Haenfler

Ross Haenfler (2013). Subcultures: The Basics. New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

After Subculture: Critical Studies in Contemporary Youth Culture by Andy Bennett and Keith Kahn-Harris

Andy Bennett and Keith Kahn-Harris (2004). After Subculture: Critical Studies in Contemporary Youth Culture. London: Palgrave Macmillan Limited.

Subcultures: The Basics by Ross Haenfler was interesting read that gave a great understanding for what a subculture is, listing key aspects you that define a subculture such as:

• Specialized vocabulary: many subcultures have a distinctive shared vernacular of idioms and symbols that demonstrate belonging and insider knowledge, marking those "in the know" outsiders. For example, graffiti writers commonly talk about crews, bombing, tags, throw-ups, to get up, burn and wildstyle.
• Style and music: many, but not all, subcultures feature connections to particular music styles and fashions. Both serve as vehicles of self-expression and collective opposition.
• Subcultural history or lore: most subcultures have a sense of their history (in fact, knowing about a subculture's "roots" can be a way of performing and judging authenticity). Certain events become legendary - the bank holiday riots in the UK, the Woodstock and Altamont rock concerts in the US, the first Waken Open Air metal festival in Germany. Subcultural history, like history in general, is often written around people of significance - heroes, innovators, and pioneers. The body modification and "modern primitive" scenes honor Fakir Musafar as an early inspiration, while "Sailor Jerry" Collins, a prominent tattoo artist in Hawaii until his death in 1973, remains a legend in the tattoo world.
• Social support system: due to their deviant identities and practices, many subcultures serve as social support systems, refuges or "homes" where like minded people feel accepted. Subculturists may even become chosen families, forming significant, long-term bonds.