Understanding Society through Popular Music

By Joe Kotarba, Phillip Vannini

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• ISBN: 978-0-415-95409-9
• Binding: Paperback (also available in Hardback)
• Published by: Routledge
• Publication Date: 29th September 2008
• Pages: 192

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About the Book

The purpose of this book is to use music as a tool to help students understand the structure and process of social life. Sociologically, music is important because it simultaneously contains and reflects a people's language, values, feelings, concerns, and goals. The material in this innovative, compact supplement is current and relevant to the musical experiences of today's college and university students and includes a companion web site that features an instructor's guide, test bank, discussion questions, and links to relevant internet sites. To make the book easy to use in introductory sociology courses, it is structured along lines parallel to the way most instructors teach the course.

Table of Contents

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION: THE SOCIOLOGY OF POP MUSIC

• Constructionist Theoretical Perspectives in the Sociology of Pop Music
• Music and Culture
• A Very Brief History of the Study of Pop Music in Sociology
• Conclusion: Cultivating a Musical and Sociological Imagination

CHAPTER ONE: THE FAMILY

• Rock ‘n’ Roll as a Feature of Children's Culture

• Adolescents as Children
• Children as Children
• Adults as Children
• Adults as Parents
• Mother and Daughter Bonding
• Father and Son Bonding
• Family Leisure Activities
• Religious Socialization
• Moral Socialization
• Historical Socialization
• Discussion and Conclusion

CHAPTER TWO: DEVIANCE

• The Relationship of Popular Music and Illegal Drug Use
• Music and Drug Discourse
• Studying Drugmusictalk
• Traditional DRUGMUSICTALK Themes

• Sharing aesthetic drug-music experiences
• Discussing the fit between particular drugs and styles of music

• Sharing affective aspects (e.g., sexual) of drug-music experiences
• Discussing economic and/or ideological aspects of drug-music experiences
• Discussing personal tastes in music
• The Internet Allows People to Create and Perform Situational Identities
• The Connoisseurs Speak
• Summary

CHAPTER THREE: THE ECONOMY

• Oligopoly and its Consequences

• Love and Commodification: The Case of Teen Pop
• Conspicuous Consumption

• Hot Topic and the Retailing of Musical Material Culture
• Music as a Commercial Technology

• Music and the Sound of the Cash Register
• Conclusion

CHAPTER FOUR: THE COMMUNITY AND THE POLITY

• Ideology

• Politics, Technology, and Indie Music
• Institution

• American Idol: Rock the Vote (but not too loud)!
• Community

• Dora and the Constitution of Community
• Conclusion

CHAPTER FIVE: RACE, CLASS, AND GENDER

• Doing Gender

• Becoming a Prima Donna
• Doing Race: Performing the Wigger
• Doing Class: Is Avril Lavigne Punk?
• Conclusion

CHAPTER SIX: THE SELF AND THE LIFE COURSE

• The Becoming of Self

• The E-Self
• The Self as Lover
• The Self as Parent
• The Self as Believer
• The Self as Political Actor
• Conclusion

CHAPTER SEVEN: GLOBALIZATION

• Music, Culture, and Globalization

• World Music Flows
• Popular Music and the Emergence of the "Teenager" in Poland

• A Brief History of Popular Music and Youth in Poland Before 1989
• Popular Music in Poland Since 1989
• Working Class Teenagers: Life Beyond Heavy Metal
• Middle Class Teens: Freedom to Taste the Market
• Discussion
• Rock en Espanol

• The Scene
• A History of the Rock en Espanol Movement in Houston
• Rock en Espanol as a Feature of Postmodernization
• Discussion
• Conclusion

REFERENCES

About the Author(s)

Joseph A. Kotarba is Professor of Sociology at the University of Houston and is author of several books including a forthcoming work on baby boomers and rock and roll fans. His musical tastes range from Henry Purcell to Van Morrison.

Phillip Vannini is Assistant Professor in the School of Communication and Culture at Royal Roads University. He is editor of Body/Embodiment and Material Culture and Technology in Everyday Life. His musical faith rests in the power of progressive hardcore and in the soothing melody of space and symphony rock.

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