Marxist views on deviant subcultures

Marxists associated with the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) interpret deviant behaviour in spectacular youth subcultures, such as Teddy Boys, mods, skinheads, and punks, as a form of resistance.

These Marxists argue that deviant acts by young working-class men in such groups serve two main purposes.

Key purposes of deviant behaviour in Marxist theory

• Celebrating working-class identity - This deviance symbolically affirms and protects working-class culture, which is seen as threatened by globalisation, including immigration and recession.
• Resisting capitalist domination - Deviant subcultures act as a means to challenge the cultural domination of the capitalist class.

Neo-Marxist perspectives on deviance

A key neo-Marxist thinker is Paul Gilroy, who argues that some young Black people engage in criminal or deviant acts as a political protest against systemic injustices, specifically institutional racism in society and the police.

Crime as political resistance in neo-Marxist theory

• Response to institutional racism - Gilroy suggests that young Black individuals may commit crimes to express frustration with institutional racism in society and the police.
• Riots as uprisings - Gilroy views events like urban riots as political uprisings by young people who feel oppressed and aggrieved by the unequal or exploitative nature of capitalist society.

Evaluation of Marxist and neo-Marxist explanations

Key criticisms of Marxist approaches

• Overemphasis on social class - Critics argue that these theories exaggerate the role of class in deviance.
• Neglect of female delinquency - Marxist explanations often overlook deviance among women.