Japanese punks' 'everyday resistance' in the face of Covid-19.

What is it about?

Punks in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo enact a form of resistance which, while seemingly spectacular, is in fact embedded in an 'everyday' performance of subcultural identity. This resistance is bound up with the community's daily lives to the point where it affects not only their choice of fashion and music, but also their jobs, career paths, and even their responses to the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic.

Featured Image

Photo by Adam Nieścioruk on Unsplash

Photo by Adam Nieścioruk on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This research, as well as providing an overview of local, contemporary punk practice in provincial Japan, highlights the localised and contingent nature of responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. It shows that things such as individual and community identity, and daily lifeways can have as much - if not more - influence on how people deal with public crises as official policy or legislation.