Punk is just a state of mind: Exploring what punk means to older punk women

Abstract

What does punk mean to older punk women? And how are such understandings interwoven with experiences of ageing and gender? The complexity in defining punk has been noted and it has been suggested that this complexity in part results from punk’s dislike of being labelled/categorised. Drawing upon interviews with 22 self-identifying older punk women, this article considers how they conceived punk as ‘a state of mind’, exploring the four shared punk values seen to comprise this: DIY, subversion, political consciousness and community. An unpacking of these values in terms of what they might ‘look like’ and how they are put into action by the women highlights the considerable roles ageing and gender play.

Punk teacher education: Finding ways to interrupt the harmful effects of teacher accountabilities

“…For Dunn (2016: 116) the influences and reach of the Riot Grrrl 'revolution' has a global presence that is 'part of a borderless community of feminist agents seeking to make gender and gender bodies visible on their own terms, while also insisting on an awareness of local/national political and social contexts.' Exploring similar threads, Way's (2021) recent research outlined four punk values that she suggests traverse time and space, and they resonate with many of the ideas and practices already touched on. The older punk women in her study shared views on the importance of community, subversion, fostering political consciousness, and a DIY approach to getting things done.…”

“…While all bands are in the business of finding gigs that get them on stage - and hence compete with each other - the collection of acts in Brisbane that are associated with punk are part of a scene that actively support each other. Efforts to establish and sustain a sense of community are one of the shared punk values that Way (2021) identifies, extending beyond the material arrangements to support punk performances, to the sense of collective identity formation through sharing of social beliefs and practices. So, it came as no surprise that a late addition was made for the evening entertainment.…”

Beyond boundaries? Disability, DIY and punk pedagogies

“…We have discussed other ‘punk values’ in relation to disability elsewhere (Stewart and Way, 2023; Stewart, 2019). DIY is well documented as a core punk value (Beer, 2014; Glasper, 2014; Moran, 2010; O’Hara, 1999; Way, 2021); some also refer specifically to punk as ‘DIY punk’ (Griffin, 2012; Moran, 2010). Martin-Iverson states that DIY comprises “collective independence’” (2014: 187) or, in other words, DIY is grounded simultaneously in the values of community and autonomy.…”

Radical Solidarities in Punk and Queer Refusals of Safety and Inclusion Narratives in Planning

“…The grassroots, anarcho-punk, and DIY ethos in punk spaces are frequently presented in punk research as "not just creative practice but a sociopolitical lifeline for women, queers, people of color, and all those that dominant forces attempt to keep disenfranchised, unproductive and off-scene" (Nault, 2018, p. 15). Meanwhile, popular representations of punk white male youth subculture persist in coding punk as non-inclusive and hostile towards women, queer, and BIPOC folk while simultaneously erasing feminist, queer, and anti-racist legacies and struggles within punk (Duncombe & Tremblay, 2011;Gonzales, 2016;Reddington, 2016;Way, 2021).…”