Hipster Culture

Twenty-first century popular culture has given birth to a peculiar cultural figure: the hipster. Stereotypically associated with nerd glasses, beards and buns, boho clothing, and ironic t-shirts, hipsters represent a (post-)postmodern subculture whose style, aesthetics and activities have increasingly become mainstream. Hipster Culture is the first comprehensive collection of original studies that address the hipster and hipster culture from a range of Cultural Studies perspectives. Discussing the cultural, economic, and political meanings and implications of a wide range of cultural phenomena prominently associated with hipster culture, the contributors bring their own expertise and experiences to bear. These include the gentrification of urban areas, alternative food styles and nutrition choices, vintage fashion styles and eclectic body adornments and practices, the nostalgic use of retro technologies, and the production and consumption of literature, art and music with a characteristic aesthetic and style marked by self-reflexivity, irony, and a simultaneous longing for an earnest authenticity.