81.16. J. Milton Yinger
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J. Milton Yinger is a sociologist who essentially set the stage for the study of Countercultures with his 1960 article, Contraculture and Subculture. Similar ideas had been explored by W.E.B. DuBois and sociologists at the Chicago School through the concept of "subculture" earlier in the 1900s, though Yinger argued that the term "subculture" had been used too broadly by researchers. He suggested it was worth distinguishing groups whose set of norms were primarily defined by their opposition to that of dominant culture.
"Every normative system contains the seeds of its own contradiction."
Unfortunately for Yinger, the concept of Counterculture would ironically also become definitionally ambiguous. When lots of folks became interested in understanding countercultures through the 1960s and 70s, many would end up moralizing analysis. Some described those outside the dominant culture as depraved, while others (such as Theodore Roszak or Charles Reich, both influenced by the work of Herbert Marcuse) described them as a source of hope and salvation. In contrast, Yinger maintained a relatively scientific approach.
For our purposes, I think Yinger's 1982 work Countercultures: The Promise and Peril of a World Turned Upside Down is particularly helpful. You'll probably see me reference that text frequently when talking about Boundary Negotiation, the Dominant Realm, or why studying Countercultures is even valuable in the first place.
Also! I should mention that while Stuart Hall was his contemporary in many ways, the two of them didn't seem to interact at all. Their ideas in this space do often overlap without using the same language, so it's probably just best to read them both and see what you think.