The Open University
Yorkshire Region

Cultural Studies Research Forum
Reports and Abstracts 1995 -2000

introduction | contents

Young People, Music and Identity

Zak Avery

My research (I am currently in the final year of a full-time PhD), looks at how young people use the consumption and production of music as a resource for the construction and expression of identity. A secondary question looks at the impact of technology on these issues.

Issues of age, race and gender, arise from interviews with young people although to a lesser degree than might be expected. Instead, issues around authenticity are particularly prevalent. The idea of what constitutes authenticity is examined, using material from interviews to illustrate how this idea is differently constructed by different groups and individuals.