questions about hebdige

1. On page 131, Hebdige writes "much of this book has been based on the assumption that the two positions 'Negro' and 'white working-class youth' can be equated". Do you think this is a just, plausible equation? How does your answer affect your reading of this text?

2. Throughout the course of his descriptions and analysis, Hebdige almost entirely disregards queer culture and women. In so doing, he seems to indicate that the formation of subcultures, and consequently of style, is a predominately male experience. He often describes the emergence of subcultures as a reaction to the parent culture, or a reaction to the norm. Through this discourse, do you think Hebdige enforces stereotypes of what it means to be normal? Do you think this limits the scope of his analysis?

3. On pages 93 and 94, Hebdige begins to discuss the "process of recuperation", or, how subcultures and their many stylings are absorbed back into the norm or sometimes turned into pop-culture. Given the emergence of the internet and the faster rate at which media is able to be produced and consumed, and also considering the new levels of accessibility and interactivity that this creates, how do you think Hebdige's analysis would hold up in today's world?