The intersection of New York City’s youth cultures and the rightward turn that defined prevailing economic ideologies of the late 1970s and 1980s, signified by the rise of neoliberalism, compels a long-overlooked investigation. More than any other city, New York became a staging ground for neoliberal policy while maintaining its position as a sight of cultural tastemaking. This paper measures the expansion of the neoliberal turn as it met youth cultures that aimed to combat and upheld it in the 1970s and 1980s. New York City officials’ challenges to Keynesian economic policy and the city’s underfunded government prompted racial segregation and urban declension, dynamics that weighed heavily on its youth. Art and music highlight how youth culture navigated evolving economic and social conditions in an era of postindustrialism and market deregulation. As disco challenged gender normativity and racial hegemony, graffiti (writing) sought reclamation of urban space, and hip-hop signified a reaction to officials’ failures to address the needs of the black community that continued to suffer in the wake of fiscal crisis. The city’s condition likewise influenced punk as it grew out of underground rock and artistic discontent. Through an examination of these youth cultures, this paper further illuminates New York City’s economic near-death experience and its subsequent attempt at restructuring through neoliberal principles.
About the presenterAlan Parkes
Alan Parkes is a PhD student in the Department of History at the University of Delaware. His research interests include neoliberalism, urban policy, and youth culture.