Anomie and Integration in the Formation of Subcultures: A Study on Square Dancing Groups in China

• In Event: 3422 - Section on Aging and Life Course Refereed Roundtable Session
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: Table 08. Social Support and Engagement

Abstract

Previous research has considered the meaning of subcultures as reflecting or addressing existing social or local problems related to inequality. With the case study of dancing in public squares, or what is sometimes called “Square Dancing” in China, this paper offers an alternative approach to explain the origin of subculture—beyond addressing social problems, subculture groups may also operate as a form of local integration based on the anomie status of contemporary society. This paper shows that due to the influence of anomie, retired women began to initiate dancing groups in public squares. Through their participation, the members started to find unique meanings in the dancing groups, and they later discovered collective feelings, with core values (health, friendship, and unity) being found in the group. By revealing this process, this paper aims to prove that groups that are defined as “subcultural” may arise as a response to the universal problem of meaninglessness and not merely as an attempt to deal with relevant structural social problems with a specific “penetration” (i.e., class consciousness).

Author

• Jiaxuan Yu, Fudan University