ABSTRACT

Punk culture is currently having a revival worldwide and is poised to extend and mutate even more as youth unemployment and youth alienation increase in many countries of the world. In Russia, its power to have an impact and to shock is well illustrated by the state response to activist collective and punk band Pussy Riot. This book, based on extensive original research, examines the nature of punk culture in contemporary Russia. Drawing on interviews and observation, it explores the vibrant punk music scenes and the social relations underpinning them in three contrasting Russian cities. It relates punk to wider contemporary culture and uses the Russian example to discuss more generally what constitutes 'punk' today.

chapter 1|21 pages

Punk, but not as we know it

Rethinking punk from a post-socialist perspective

chapter 3|50 pages

St Petersburg

Big city – small scenes

chapter 4|44 pages

Krasnodar

Perpendicular culture in the biggest village on Earth

chapter 5|53 pages

Vorkuta

A live scene in a ‘rotting city'