Since the earliest heretic religions and utopian communities, alternative culture has provided a way for people to refuse conformity and reimagine their relationship to mainstream ideals. And yet it’s questionable whether alternative culture is anything more than the opiate of an erudite, radical minority. We seek essays that take a critical position on alternative culture, investigating its creation, transformation, degradation, and possible irrelevance to political and social change. With the fading influence of truly independent films, DiY music, self-published writing, and state-funded art projects, what will become of alternative culture? And was it really ever an alternative to anything that mattered?
Essays should be no more than 3,000 words, and written in accessible, jargon-free prose (no footnotes!). We welcome submissions on anything from personal experience of alternative cultures, to critical examinations of the culture industry.
Deadline is October 6. Please send all submissions to issue editors Joel Schalit <riotgoy at ix.netcom.com> and Annalee Newitz <tabloid at jps.net>.
-- annalee newitz, ph.d. - tabloid at jps.net - 415.731.1996 http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~annaleen
freelance writer and lecturer technology - pop culture - sexuality - academia