Poised between the commercialism of mass consumption and a questioning of prevailing social norms, youth cultures offer a fascinating insight into the social and cultural state of Western societies. This innovative collection provides a lively exploration of such cultures, with all their implicit ironies and contradictions, at the end of the twentieth century.

Highlighting the current forms of expression - music, style, fashion, entertainment - and the richness of youth culture's historical and contemporary variety, the contributors address key issues including: why young people are seen as at risk from popular culture; how late modernity affects changing shifts in gender relations; how young people relate to texts, from th