Content area
Abstract
In order to analyze the relationship of punk to anarchy, this thesis will investigate the discursive function of “anarchy” both in contemporaneous accounts of punk and in subsequent histories. Beginning with the genesis of British punk and the first references to anarchy in different media during the late 1970s, subsequent chapters focus on the seminally influential anarcho-punk band Crass in order to discern their impact on the evolution of the anarcho-punk genre and its relationship to anarchism up through the mid-1980s. Several other anarcho-punk bands will also be considered for their contributions to this genre. In addition to providing an in-depth study of anarcho-punk, which has been largely ignored by scholars, the present work seeks to enhance understanding of the role of anarchy in punk discourse and hopes to offer a starting point for analysing recent developments in other politicised subcultures.
