For many, teenage angst and rebellion against mainstream culture remain personified in J.D. Salinger’s depiction of Holden Caulfield and his cynical disdain for the philistine hypocrisy of American postwar society. As the new phenomenon of youth culture emerged in subsequent decades, Bennett and Roberts note that it was generally “regarded as something bound by geographical proximity and a collective affinity confirmed by collective visual displays of taste.” Today’s digital age continues to witness the rise of community-driven platforms such as Twitter, Reddit, and Discord that have transformed into both laboratories and sanctuaries for almost any imaginable community of likeminded individuals, including many youthful voices that call for change in the face of various social ills. Interfacing the dynamics of these ongoing developments with the legacies of past and resurgent youth cultures, the seminar explores the diverse and intersecting histories of anti-establishment groups, minority protest, nonconformity, and social deviance in the United States. While taking into account instances of individual dissent such as Caulfield’s, we will work towards diversifying the spectrum to include, among others, Black, LatinX, feminist, queer, and environmental countercultures together with their diverse identities, sociopolitical messages, visual styles, and artistic modes of expressions.
- Trainer DS: Wöll Steffen Adrian