Revisiting the subcultural/post-subcultural debate: Assessing the relevance of Hodkinson's subcultural substance in contemporary Goth culture

This paper revisits the subcultural/post-subcultural debate, with Goth culture as its subject of study. Both theories and their differences are presented, as well as the need for reflection on current alternative cultures. To this end, the paper focuses on Paul Hodkinson's reformulation of the subculture concept and seeks to assess its relevance to Goth culture. This is accomplished through an empirical study with Portuguese Goths to examine its applicability in the current context and confirm or refute the presence of subcultural substance indicators in Goth culture. The conclusion acknowledges the complexity of this particular culture and asserts that it remains a subculture, but now more diverse, fragmented, and influenced by post-subcultural traits than before. This complexity led to the proposal of referring to the Goth culture with a new term, such as ambivalent subculture, acknowledging its subcultural and post-subcultural characteristics.