Characteristics of the Committed

Like the Fully Committed, the Committed are also very connected to the music and practices of others but the level of connection is slightly less than that of the Fully Committed. In both social groups, there is a conscious relationship with the music, as well as a conscious intention in their practices. These relationships are not as intense for the Committed as they are for the Fully Committed. The Committed do not have music as a priority over all else although it ranks high in their priorities.

Once again, Willis’s (1978) framework of analysis was used and broadened to be suitable for the research undertaken.

Through indexical analysis, the Committed were categorised as those who listened to their preferred music for a substantial amount of time and were involved in their preferred music scene. However this involvement was not an absolute priority and it did not take over all their leisure time leaving space for other practices. Although they did listen to their preferred music, they were open and willing to listen to other types of music considering it as beneficial to learn about a wider spectrum of music. Thus their holistic identity did not revolve exclusively around the music they preferred to listen to and the music scene they frequented. On the other hand, the process of identity consciously included other cultural forms as well as other elements such as education, peers, upbringing and so on.

Homological analysis focuses on the interaction between the social group and the cultural item (Willis, 1978). This analysis focused on the interactions between the Committed and their preferred music, be it classical, traditional, rave and so on. It therefore looked at what the music represents for the social group, and the attitudes of its members towards it.

Although the Committed are slightly less involved in their music scenes than the Fully Committed, they are still quite deeply engaged within their social group. For the Committed, their affiliations to music scenes were not the topmost priority in their life and were not the sole sources of identity formation which they themselves acknowledged. The Committed are still quite highly positioned in the social hierarchy of their social groups since they have the knowledge and closely follow social practices and rituals. They are recognised as insiders both by their social group as well as by outsiders.

Members of the Committed category, considered being up to date in their music scene as very important. It was part of the knowledge one had to possess to be considered

worthy of being an insider. Apart from in-depth knowledge, wide-ranging knowledge was also considered as prestigious. The Committed perceived the Fully Committed as a source of knowledge from which they could learn rather than a source of awe within the social hierarchy of their music scene. This was especially true for those Committed who aspired to achieve a Fully Committed status.

Since the Committed are very active in their cultural fields, they also contribute to the processes of giving on-going meaning to the music which they engage in. Although it is the Fully Committed who are generally given credit for setting the accepted code of practices, the Committed contribute substantially to these practices, sometimes in maintaining them and sometimes in altering them.

Integral analysis looks at the reciprocal influence that music and the social group have. Like the Fully Committed, the music the Committed listen to motivates them to go deeper into the music and the associated practices. They too usually try to learn an instrument to try and make their own music within their preferred musical style. However a very important distinction between them and the Fully Committed is that the image that members of the Committed category project, does not necessarily reflect the music they like. They do not necessarily adopt all practices which the social group adopt or they do not adopt such practices all the time. Whereas a Fully Committed Goth would wear the typical black clothing, makeup and hairstyle for any occasion, regardless of inadequacy, a Committed Goth would not. If a Fully Committed girl is forced to wear ‘normal’ clothes for a job interview, she would feel very much unlike her real self. On the other hand, a Committed girl would be comfortable to wear ‘normal’ clothes for an interview and is likely to choose her clothes taking into consideration the appropriateness and adequateness of her image for particular occasions. The Committed tend to value individuality and therefore pick and choose what practices to adopt and what to discard. Thus the Committed negotiate between their music scenes and social norms.

The Committed are those who believe that their preferred music had a substantial influence on their identity but they also believe that other factors were instrumental in forming their identity as well. They are aware of the meaning they give to the music and feel they can control how much the music influences them and how much meaning they give to the music and associated practices.