Do we really understand what it means to be ‘alternative’?

In contemporary society, alternative music scenes such as heavy metal, goth and punk have spread around the world; and alternative fashions and embodiment practices are now adopted by footballers and fashion models. Alternativity delineates those spaces, scenes, sub-cultures, objects and practices in modern society that are actively designed to be counter or resistive to mainstream popular culture.However, there is a lack of understanding of the challenges faced by those who embrace alternative lifestyles and what it means to be alternative in globalised society.

What ‘alternative’ looks like is explored in these titles, providing unique home for research that will expand our understanding of sub-cultures, scenes and practices defined as alternative.

Titles included in this set:

Childbirth and Parenting in Horror Texts:The Marginalized and the Monstrous; The Evolution of Goth Culture:The Origins and Deeds of the New Goths; Popular Music in Contemporary Bulgaria:At the Crossroads; Revolutionary Nostalgia:Retromania, Neo-Burlesque, and Consumer Culture; Subcultures, Bodies and Spaces:Essays on Alternativity and Marginalization; The Use and Abuse of Music:Criminal Records;