MA, Kent State University, 2020, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology

Since the late 1990's, the U.S. has been struggling with an epidemic linked to the use of opiate drugs and their synthetic counterparts. While many have died in this epidemic, many also recover. In this qualitative study, I aim to gain a better understanding of how people with opiate addiction seek out, navigate and sustain recovery. Eighteen in-depth interviews were conducted with individuals in recovery from opiate addiction. Analysis of data suggests that individuals with opiate addiction utilize a wide range of resources to access treatment and engage in recovery. In this paper, I discuss four major themes and four subthemes. Specifically, individuals who suffer from addiction mobilize various forms of recovery capital, including social, economic and cultural capital (e.g. Cloud and Granfield 2008). I also find that in this sample of middle-aged, White individuals in recovery, themes and experiences such as existential pain, hope, and engagement with the criminal justice system figure prominently in narratives about recovery.

Committee: Clare Stacey Ph.D. (Advisor); Susan Roxburgh Ph.D. (Committee Member); Robert Peralta Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Health; Mental Health; Public Health; Social Research; Sociology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2021, Popular Culture

The heavy metal scene has a long history of crossover with punk rock, with many subgenres of heavy metal being influenced by punk. Previous research on punk and metal understood the punk subculture to be strongly tied with the middle class, while the heavy metal subculture was understood to be mostly working class. Over the past twenty years, however, the class demographic of the heavy metal subculture has shifted to be primarily middle class. This thesis is an attempt to understand how heavy metal's shift in class demographics has influenced crossover between punk rock and heavy metal musics. To understand the relationships between class, punk rock, and heavy metal, this thesis makes use of Steve Waksman's metal/punk continuum and Pierre Bourdieu's theory of distinction and cultural capital, as well as lyrical analysis and ethnographic research conducted in between July 2019 and February 2020 in the heavy metal scene in the greater Detroit area. In this thesis, I dissect the differences between heavy metal and punk rock. When viewed as Weberian ideal types, I found that, as a genre, heavy metal tends to avoid overt discussions of politics, whereas punk rock openly engages with politics. I argue that the heavy metal subculture has retained a working class habitus, which is seen in metal's avoidance of overt discussion of politics. This working class habitus in the heavy metal scene is in tension with the middle class habitus of many metalheads. As a result of this, middle class metalheads use various techniques to navigate this tension, including enjoying metal music which more openly discusses politics due to punk rock influences. Finally, I argue that the subgenre of metalcore, a hybrid of hardcore punk and heavy metal, is a product of the middle class fanbase in heavy metal, as it focuses on topics such as sociopolitical troubles and mental health. In doing so, metalcore reflects the lived experiences of the middle class metalhead

Committee: Jeremy Wallach PhD (Advisor); Esther Clinton PhD (Committee Member); Katherine Meizel PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

PHD, Kent State University, 2019, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology

Over the last forty years, hip-hop has evolved as a cultural form describing the impact of racial marginalization experienced by African Americans. Contemporary research has focused primarily on the consumption and symbolic meaning of hip-hop rather than how hip-hop is culturally produced. This study examined the relationships between cultural, social, economic, and subcultural capital to the cultural production of hip-hop. Data was gathered using semi-structured interviews with thirty hip-hop cultural producers. Results identified two groups of hip-hop cultural producers: (a) those whose capital transferred into a hip-hop cultural production career, and (b) those whose capital had not transferred into a hip-hop career. Several qualitative themes emerged describing the roles of social, cultural, economic, and subcultural capital as it relates to hip-hop cultural production. In conclusion, participants with greater capital resources through early involvement in cultural production were more likely to have their capital transfer into a career in hip-hop cultural production. These findings suggest that, despite being positioned as an artistic form that `speaks' for all African Americans, hip-hop cultural production is characterized by structural inequality that excludes the least capitalized individuals.

Committee: Timothy Berard Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Christopher Dum Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kamesha Spates Ph.D. (Committee Member); Babacar M'Baye Ph.D. (Committee Member); David Swartz Ph.D. (Committee Member); Paul Haridakis Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Sociology

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2018, Popular Culture

The subculture of jam bands is often publicly held to multiple stereotypical expectations. Participants in the subculture are expected to fall into one of two camps, coastal elites or “dirty hippies.” Members of the Northwest Ohio jam scene often do not have the kind of economic privilege that is assumed of them based on the larger jam subculture. Not only do these perceptions create difficulties for audience members of the Northwest Ohio scene, but there are added complications for the musicians in the scene. This research explores the challenges of class and belonging faced by participants in the Northwest Ohio jam scene. More specifically, this thesis focuses on the careful social negotiations scene members and musicians are required to navigate in order to maintain insider status while dealing with the working-class realities of life in the area. In this thesis, I argue that subcultural capital is one of the most significant factors for belonging to the larger subculture, and that its necessity, which requires sufficient economic support, demands more nuanced practices by local scenesters in order to maintain. I dissect the complexities of the concept of “family” in the jam scene, including its meaning for audiences and musicians, as well as how it intersects with class and public perceptions of class in the scene. Finally, I argue that musical forms and practices hold significance in establishing genre authenticity, but I maintain that class is a determining factor in the decisions bands make about whether or not they hold completely true to genre boundaries. This thesis attempts to address the complexities of class and how it functions in small, local rock scenes, specifically in the Northwest Ohio jam scene.

Committee: Jeremy Wallach (Advisor); Esther Clinton (Committee Member) Subjects: Music