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Clampdown: Pop-Cultural Wars on Class and Gender Kindle Edition

by Rhian E. Jones (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 25 ratings
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Why have both pop and politics in Britain become the preserve of an unrepresentative elite? From chav-pop pantomimes to retro-chauvinist ‘landfill indie’, the bland, homogenous and compromised nature of the current 'alternative' sector reflects the interests of a similarly complacent and privileged political establishment. In particular, political and media policing of female social and sexual autonomy, through the neglected but significant gendered dimensions of the discourse surrounding ‘chavs’, has been accompanied by a similar restriction and regulation of the expression of working-class femininity in music. This book traces the progress of this cultural clampdown over the past twenty years.

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  1. Print length
    114 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Zero Books
  5. Publication date
    March 11, 2013
  6. File size
    339 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Traces the links between politics and pop music in order to interpret why we are where we are, in terms of class, gender and representation and the wider grim political situation we find ourselves in. The book made me angry and a bit nostalgic, but probably nostalgic for something that was never fully realised."
--Emmy-Kate Montrose, formerly of Kenickie

About the Author

Rhian E. Jones lives in London where she writes on history, politics, popular culture and the places where they intersect.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00BO2XBL8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Zero Books (March 11, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 11, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 339 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 114 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.7 3.7 out of 5 stars 25 ratings

Customer reviews

3.7 out of 5 stars
3.7 out of 5
25 global ratings

Top review from the United States

S. L. Naish
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2015
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One of the best books on Brit-pop and the English class system.
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Top reviews from other countries

Simon Hogg
5.0 out of 5 stars The state we are in
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 1, 2013
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This short, passionate book articulates one answer to how the UK is able to suffer the hardest, deepest and most damaging cuts to the public sector and welfare in generations and still see it as something necessary and even desirable.

Jones argues that pop culture has gradually drifted to the right, particularly over the last ten years, cutting off one of the key avenues of self expression to all but those privileged enough to be able to be self sufficient. As a result protest against the untrammelled progress of ideological capitalism has been neutered at the same time that the constant and prolonged dismissal of working class society as 'chavs' has resulted in an all but conquered society.

It is difficult to read this book without feeling a growing sense of anger. Jones does not offer any answers, since that is not her purpose. She is simply pointing out the issues. Although this book uses pop culture, and specifically music, of the last twenty years as its theme, this is merely a lens through which to examine the changes society has undergone.

I would encourage anyone remotely interested in the current state of politics to read it.
7 people found this helpful
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John Blakeley
4.0 out of 5 stars A timely polemic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2013
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As the coalition's austerity measures increasingly target those least able to withstand them, this brief but incisive polemic asks why the voices of the marginalised and oppressed are not being heard within popular culture. The answer appears to lie firstly in the vilifying notion of the "chav"; and secondly through mainstream appropriations of working class identities: a combination of caricature and contempt, stifling fresh and authentic voices.

It's a passionate lament, and the targets of Jones' ire are on the whole well-chosen. For example, she elucidates the class-inflected sneering of "I Predict a Riot", which heralded an era of dreary "landfill indie"; I am not, though, persuaded that Louise Werner altogether deserves the kicking she gets here. I would also note the sometimes rather joyless prose style - especially given her concluding advocacy of unapologetic hedonism. Overall though, this is an urgent and important contribution to a debate about contemporary popular music. It deserves to be read and discussed.
7 people found this helpful
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Susan
3.0 out of 5 stars Who is the target reader?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 20, 2022
Verified Purchase
I never quite got my mind properly round what class-infected means. And “class essentialism” means what exactly? (I googled it and it is “the belief that social class is inherent, stable, and central to a person's essence”.)
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Dan Roper
3.0 out of 5 stars Some great ideas but often buried in the text
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2013
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There are some great central ideas in this book not least the themes of gender. Perceived shortcomings of much feminist thought are acknowledged but then parked so the gender theme strengthens as the book goes on. Pop culture provides a good story board for the political message although some of the examples could be seen as rather selective.

Where the book loses marks is that it is not the easiest of reads. It is a shame that a book exploring class lapses into some quite inaccessible use of language and a tendency to over-intellectualise. There is a tendency to long paragraphs and at times the text can be turgid, this is a shame because some very good points get buried and lost.

This is a book I would recommend, I look forward to a follow up.
2 people found this helpful
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Saul Hughes
4.0 out of 5 stars Last Exit On Yesterday
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2013
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I'm not sure about the criticism of the vocabulary used in Clampdown (it's similar to that used by other pop-cultural commentators: Simon Reynolds, John Savage, etc) but I found it fairly straightforward and even invigorating at times. Clampdown is a very interesting, and tautly constructed book that took me to some unchartered territory (which is always welcome). In all, a meticulously put-together, erudite (can I use that word?) and occasionally extremely funny piece of work. I look forward to the author's next project.
9 people found this helpful
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