Hybrid Assignment 06–more thoughts
Hi everyone,
One of your classmates was struggling with the reading and our hybrid assignment for this week. I’m posting my response to her question in case there are others searching for a little more guidance.
We can begin to understand Terranova’s argument by breaking down the concepts she uses. With this question I want students to begin to think about the relationship of capitalism to culture and sub-cultural movements in particular (see Terranova, pages 52-53).
A good place to begin is by making sure you understand what a subcultural movement is. Some would argue that the 1970s punk rock movement was a subcultural movement, but there are many other examples. Try to come up with a good working definition of this concept. What is the function of a subcultural movement? Next, return to Terranova’s text to try to see the point she is making. Why might we be tempted to think such movements are outside the reach of capitalism? Terranova makes a compelling argument for why this is not the case. With this assignment I want you to try to understand and explain what you think her argument about subculture is. This will help us begin to understand her argument about free labor and the digital economy.
See you Thursday!
Elizabeth
