A MARXIST ANALYSIS OF THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL CONDITION ON BRITISH SKINHEADS AS A SUBCULTURE IN FILM, “THIS IS ENGLAND”
Gendis Lintang Kinasih
Abstract
The difficult condition of working-class youth is sometimes gave birth to the resistant of youth subcultures in the relation to mainstream society. Youth subculture might emerge in the society because of several factors. This thesis analyzes the film, This is England, to find out how the social conditions influence the British skinhead as a subculture. This thesis deals with the class division which is born the skinhead movement and the ideology of dominant society that shapes skinheads’ action. Based on this idea, Marxist theory will be an appropriate tool to analyze the class division and the ideology. Then, the resistance of the skinheads as subculture will be seen through the lens of subculture theory. Marxist and subculture theory are tools to analyze the social condition which may influence skinheads’ action, behavior and thought which contradict with the dominant society. Through this study, it reveals that the film portrayed the British skinheads as form of youth subculture which behaves differently from dominant society. The skinhead members are trying to resist the ideology of dominant society. This study find out that the social condition in British, like the dominant ideology and class division influence and affected several aspects of skinhead (style, activities, territory and violence).
