Teenage Subcultures In Stoke On Trent
Stoke-On-Trent, also known as The Potteries, is a city in Staffordshire situated in the West Midlands. Just like other cities, Stoke-On-Trent has diverse teenage subculures, some well known and others not as popular. The oxford dictionary defines subculture as ‘a cultural group within a larger culture, often having beliefs or interests at variance with those of the larger culture’ (Oxford Dictionaries: 2013). In terms of subcultures, if you ask anyone from Stoke-On-Trent, most people would tell you it’s well known for it’s dominance of Chavs. However, that’s just in certain areas. On visiting different places around Stoke-On-Trent you can begin to see an assorted group of different subcultures local teenagers are part of.
One of the most popular areas in Stoke-On-Trent to show the teenage subculture of being a ‘Chav’ is Crackley. Crackley is a small estate just to the side of Chesterton village. l
Linking to the subculture of ‘Chavs’ is the representation of youths in Stoke-On-Trent being best known for their drinking, smoking and public displays of affections on the streets. ‘To an outside observer, the various teenage subcultures are only recognizable through pointers such as clothing and overall appearance, music preferences, behaviour, language, and symbol use’ (Gerrit A.J van der Rijt, Ph.D., Leen S.J Haenens, Ph.D., Pascalle van Straten, M.Sc, 2002: 433).
Symbol use is a key way to identify Teenage Subcultures in Stoke-On-Trent, specifically in Crackley. Picture two shows the use of graffiti as a mark of territory. The Crackley Republican Army began in the 1980’s when the IRA was in the news. It has recently been resurrected through social networking sites on the internet. Members of the Crackley Republican Army (also known as the CRA) are well known for causing riots around not only Crackley but other surrounding estates. They are well known for leaving their mark through Graffiti. The CRA continue to cause local concern as certain
One of the most popular areas in Stoke-On-Trent to show the teenage subculture of being a ‘Chav’ is Crackley. Crackley is a small estate just to the side of Chesterton village. l
Linking to the subculture of ‘Chavs’ is the representation of youths in Stoke-On-Trent being best known for their drinking, smoking and public displays of affections on the streets. ‘To an outside observer, the various teenage subcultures are only recognizable through pointers such as clothing and overall appearance, music preferences, behaviour, language, and symbol use’ (Gerrit A.J van der Rijt, Ph.D., Leen S.J Haenens, Ph.D., Pascalle van Straten, M.Sc, 2002: 433).
Symbol use is a key way to identify Teenage Subcultures in Stoke-On-Trent, specifically in Crackley. Picture two shows the use of graffiti as a mark of territory. The Crackley Republican Army began in the 1980’s when the IRA was in the news. It has recently been resurrected through social networking sites on the internet. Members of the Crackley Republican Army (also known as the CRA) are well known for causing riots around not only Crackley but other surrounding estates. They are well known for leaving their mark through Graffiti. The CRA continue to cause local concern as certain
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