Abstract

This thesis examines the varying ways that individuals participate and identify with punk scenes. Based on autoethnographic methods of inquiry, the text forms its arguments through narrative dialogue and theoretical knowledge. Most often, studies on punk are situated in a subcultural framework. In this thesis, it is argued that 'scene theory' is a more favourable theoretical framework for studying punk. A selection of punk scenes are interpreted through the ways that individuals find meaning in their participation. Understanding punk scenes through individual perspectives presents an opportunity to understand the ways that participation in punk intersects with other facets of daily life. Punk scenes are understood as but one socio-cultural element within participants’ multifaceted lives. In this thesis, punk scenes are studied in terms of their overlaps, intersections, and influences on individual perceptions of self within social relationships.