Aging & Social Change: Ninth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

Subcultural participation has generally been studied as a space created by and for youth, despite some subcultures retaining members into older age. Literature on subcultures has primarily been performed by sociologists concerned with the functions of youth subcultures in relation to stylistic and social deviance. But how do “old” punks and “aging” Goths maintain their subcultural identities as they move throughout the lifespan? What spaces might they transform through their presence? This paper explores alternatives to Pierre Bourdieu’s “social aging” through a long term ethnographic study of the punk and goth subcultures in Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Bourdieu defines “social aging” as a slow renunciation of self-worth which leads older workers to make do with what they have in life even if it means deceiving themselves. Yet must aging always come at a societal cost? I introduce the term “gothic temporalities” to explore how older members of the Goth subculture combat ageism by creating alternative individualized lifestyle projects based around subcultural tastes and values. Rather than “making do” with what life hands them, these Goths celebrate their present and welcome their future, transforming nightclubs into communal spaces for aging outside of mainstream culture. The purpose of this project is to push back against the societal and economic stigma of aging by understanding how identity is expressed across the life course. Ultimately, this study emphasizes the power of human agency by encouraging us to remain true to ourselves throughout the lifespan.