Paula Guerra

Music and more than music: The approach to difference and identity in the Portuguese punk

In Western societies, punk represented a benchmark for rupture towards the existing social structure while providing a soundtrack for it. So, it is in this context that we will approach the Portuguese punk considering its importance in a society engaged in relatively recent processes of democratization and modernization. Thus, we propose here to take a look at the punk from its protagonists’ discourses and the text that they form. We will consider the words used by the bands in two ways: when they name themselves and their lyrics. In each case, we will deal with the self-representation issues in the light of the polarity between identity and difference: who we are, how we position ourselves, how we distinguish ourselves, what we have to say about ourselves, our time and our world; what are our values and what we have to say regarding the dominant social values; which causes move us, how we want to act, how we want the world to be. As in any other discursive self-representation, the content is not independent of the forms of expression. Therefore, the identification and dialogue questions (who is speaking, who is he or she speaking to) and the language questions (how does the speaker express, with which codes, in which forms) are also examined. Our analysis suggests that the punk discourse on identity tends to be structured by three main axes: a) cosmopolitanism, b) the radical assumption of an irreducible difference regarding social order and c) an ambivalent attitude towards politics and the political action.

Punk, expectations, breaches and metamorphoses: Portugal, 1977–2012

Abstract This article arises from an ongoing research project about the manifestations of punk in Portuguese society from 1977 to date. The approach to studying Portuguese punk occurs along the following axes: analysing punk music from the perspective of cultural representation; identifying punk subcultural practices; addressing the contours of Portuguese punk as social movement, scene or neo-tribe; assessing sociopolitical participation; and identifying urban forms of resistance and the occupation of space. The author underlines the different positions of social actors presently involved in the punk movement in Portugal in terms of their relation to the assumption of punk as a contemporary form of social and political resistance and a structural axis of the recomposition of new contemporary social movements; in addition to tracking the movements and struggles against the risks engendered by fragmentation stemming from the economic crisis and the deterioration of the overall quality of life. Here, the author seeks to identify the relationships between punk and contemporary forms of youth struggle. Data comprising 40 interviews with key Portuguese punk social actors, representative of the different regions, generations and scenes currently available in Portugal, inform the study.

Never Mind the Pistols? The Legacy and Authenticity of the Sex Pistols in Portugal

The impact, influence, and legacy of the Sex Pistols have inspired a considerable number of works, with those of Jon Savage being perhaps the most paradigmatic. However, these studies are generally centered on Anglo perceptions of the Sex Pistols and of punk more broadly. We believe that it is important to understand the Sex Pistols cultural and economic impact globally, and thus to realize the influence of English or Anglo-Saxon culture in non-English-speaking countries through the lens of popular music. In this article, our main aims are as follows: to understand the current and previous representation of the Sex Pistols in Portugal; to evaluate the groups legacy in Portuguese society and its punk scene, its influence on the formation of bands and their consideration of questions relating to authenticity and market; to define the role of the Sex Pistols in the dissemination of the DIY ethic and concept among punks in Portugal; and to examine the importance of the Sex Pistols in the ever unfinished construction of what represents the mainstream and the underground in music.

Keep it rocking: The social space of Portuguese alternative rock (1980–2010):

The main goal of our approach is to analyse the social representations of alternative rock in Portugal (or, using a terminology more akin to 1980s Portugal, of the “modern music vanguard”) from 1980 to 2010. This is part of broader research into the 30 years of modernization of the country (from the post-revolutionary period initiated in 1974 on), in which alternative rock is regarded as a significant social practice within the scope of the social, artistic and musical structuring of the country itself. We consider that alternative rock is a subject that is illuminated by Bourdieu’s theory of fields, without overlooking its clear interconnection with ‘art worlds’ or music scenes, and the aesthetic cosmopolitanism of late modernity. The article is a pioneering work on the Portuguese sociology of culture, whose results may be the starting point of a debate to problematize the functional logic of popular music in various Anglo-Saxon settings.

Políticas culturais locais: contributos para um modelo de análise

The article suggests a framework for the analysis of local cultural policies. Its basic assumption is the idea that the articulation of the sociological and the economic approaches — geographically enriched — provides the best perspective and method for research. The article considers the scientific knowledge that is being accumulated, in Portugal, on cultural policies. It can be conceived of, and used, as a methodological development, oriented towards future research. Its aim is to offer a roadmap, to be specified and adapted to each case, both to the academic studies and to political institutions and agents.

When art meets crisis: the Portuguese story and beyond

The article focuses on how the Portuguese arts have dealt with the Portuguese crisis, in the years 2011-2014, when the country was subjected to a financial bailout. The approach is based on a cross-section analysis, considering the domains of literature, fine arts, visual arts and cinema, music and performing arts. Itxa0emphasizes three distinct and complementary ways through which the relation between arts and society was developed in these years. The first way is the directly political positioning of artists, through artistic works and performances. The second way is the presence of the crisis as a background of several artistic creations of this time. And the third way is the one by which the crisis projects a new light into consistent topics of the Portuguese artistic imagination, stressing the centrality of collective identity and self-reflexivity. The Portuguese case suggests how promising can be for the sociological explanation of social processes the consideration of their cultural and artistic dimensions.

A Comparison Between Portuguese and Chinese Punks: A Genealogy, Style, and Space

This chapter offers a comparison between quite different socio-historical realities, of Portugal and China. Through analysis of facets such as style, performances, and professional careers, the similarities and differences between them will be explored.

Introduction: Context, Method, and Theoretical Framework

This book explores punk lives in contemporary China. Discussion about punk is currently thriving in academia, and focusing on Chinese punk can be regarded as in line with this trend. That said, the general lack of discussion about punk phenomena in Asian contexts demands attention since local distinctiveness could provide a possible avenue for new interpretation. With this book, we seek to address this gap somewhat, primarily by presenting biographies of Chinese punk musicians, the specific society in which they are situated, and how the use of technology contributes to the development of the punk phenomenon in China. The scope of the research also extends further, to examination of the Chinese punk phenomenon in a global context and comparison with other non-Anglo-American societies where the phenomena are mostly neglected.

Re-Thinking Territorial Cohesion in the European Planning Context: RE-THINKING TERRITORIAL COHESION IN THE EUROPEAN PLANNING CONTEXT

The socio‐economic dimensions of cohesion have long been considered an integral part of Europeanization. However, recently a third dimension has been added to the Europe 2020 cohesion policy debate: territorial cohesion. Consequently this term is as yet undeveloped, resulting in a lack of consensus on how to define and interpret it. Such ambiguity represents a theoretical and empirical challenge to regional actors needing to respond to European Union (EU) directives while operationalizing the concept within their national and/or regional agendas. This article uses Portugal as a case study to examine how the concept of territorial cohesion is being interpreted and transposed from EU‐based to territorial‐based instruments and policy documents. First, we conducted a qualitative content analysis (QCA) of a selection of European and regional publications to compare their intrinsic discourses. This was followed by around 60 structured qualitative interviews, conducted with leading actors who had been instrumental in writing or implementing regional policy documents. On the basis of this dual analysis we conclude that, as a whole, the writers of the Portuguese strategic documents successfully transposed this concept, although perceptible differences exist between regions, as local actors have selectively redefined it to better suit their strategic priorities. These differences are debated with the aim of contributing to the design of effective public policies that facilitate inclusion, cohesion and Europeanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Raw Power: Punk, DIY and Underground Cultures as Spaces of Resistance in Contemporary Portugal

This article focuses on presenting, analysing and understanding the ‘do-it-yourself’ (DIY) representations of over 200 participants in Portuguese punk music scenes between 1977 and 2014. Through an ethnographic study of punk and the DIY ethos in Portugal, the article depicts its local interpretation and significance, and highlights the singularities of this socio-historical context. Our approach has three focal points: (1) the importance of DIY punk manifestations in the development of youth (sub)cultures, including forms of production and consumption of music, fashion, aesthetics, leisure, the night and cosmopolitanism; (2) the singularity of DIY punk manifestations in Portugal and related resistance practices in their correlation with social, political and economic development in a country outside the Anglo-Saxon context; and (3) the embedding of a DIY ethos and the associated claim to authenticity in the professions and careers in which punks engage today.