You (plural): Political configurations of punk’s DIY ethos

Abstract

This article traces the evolution of punk’s do it yourself (DIY) ethos from an emphasis on individualist-contrarian to collectivist-participatory forms following its initial commercial period (c. 1977–80). The focus is on 1980s American hardcore as locus of shifts in music content, media production and distribution, and venue infrastructure, which together developed and ultimately linked local punk scenes into a national and international network. The article identifies ‘punk comradeship’ as the mechanism of social enculturation that reorients punk into an inclusionary, activist endeavour working in its own interests rather than those of the culture industry. The contemporary relevance of punk’s commitment to institution building is considered in the context of increasing dominance of biopolitics and reformatting of the DIY ethos as the entrepreneurial curation of individual selves.