Ruling the Airwaves: Anti-Monarchism in British Grime Subculture
While the British monarchy remains a symbol of stability for a majority of Britons, it constitutes a symbol of stasis for a considerable minority. The release of the Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen” (27 May 1977) marked a watershed moment in British music history due to the song’s explicit anti-mon...
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| Wydane w: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/ranam, |
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| 1. autor: | |
| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Język: | Anglais |
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Recherches anglaises et nord-américaines
2024
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| Hasła przedmiotowe: | |
| Dostęp online: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Streszczenie: | While the British monarchy remains a symbol of stability for a majority of Britons, it constitutes a symbol of stasis for a considerable minority. The release of the Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen” (27 May 1977) marked a watershed moment in British music history due to the song’s explicit anti-monarchism. This article explores how anti-royalist sentiment has evolved since the turn of the millennium in British grime music, becoming increasingly concerned with the legacy of colonialism and race relations in British society, while maintaining the 1970s punk emphasis on the British underclasses and socio-economic disparity. I argue that grime subculture has established itself as a sort of “counter empire,” which has successively challenged key British figures and institutions by provocatively eluding hegemonic public space and appropriating major symbols of the dominant culture. |
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