The applicability of different subculture theories to the Istanbul metal scene in the early twenty-first century

Abstract

This article discusses various subculture theories and the contemporary metal scene in Istanbul. This vibrant scene is part of the global metal transculture, where local and global elements interact. In addition to aspects of Kahn-Harris’s and Hodkinson’s theories, Weinstein’s characterization of metal subculture as a community revolving around a distinctive sound world is especially appropriate. Discourses of distinction are not a primary component of this subculture. Hebdige’s subculture theory, despite its weaknesses, is helpful for understanding this subculture, especially the articulation of subcultural resistance in terms of its relationship to the parent culture. This metal subculture retains many local parent culture features, including norms of morality, respect for elders and gender relations. At the same time, subculture members believe that metal songs empower them to make autonomous decisions in a culture that strongly values collectivism, challenge the dominant religious ideology, and contest aesthetic conventions of traditional and pop genres in Turkey.