counterculture

What's the Path from Crunchy Counterculture to Alt-Right?

by Kathleen Belew

Observers have tracked a growing affinity between online adherents of natural lifestyle and alternative medicine communities and the antigovernment and white supremacist movements. Thinking about the connections disrupts our idea of a linear spectrum of political affinity from "left" to "right."

From the Archives: Bob Maurer on Charles Sherrod and New Communities Farm

Nearly 50 years ago, activist Robert Maurer reported on the successes and challenges of a Georgia agricultural cooperative conceived as a step toward securing Black economic empowerment in the post-civil rights South. 

What Does an Electric Makeover Mean for the Car of the Counterculture?

by Jill Lepore

The new electric VW bus seems to lack the charm of the vehicle of the counterculture, reflecting changes in technology and society. 

Reviewed: The Bio of Hippie Capitalism Pioneer and Technofuturist Stewart Brand

by Malcolm Harris

From LSD to the computer revolution, Stewart Brand appeared in some way in the biggest cultural trends to emerge from California in the late 20th century. A new authorized biography tells a version of his story, but is it the whole story? 

Grandpa, Tell Us About the Division of Labor on the Hippie Commune

by Erik Loomis

Despite their grand countercultural goals, communes tended to follow a rigidly gendered division of labor.

The Four Secrets to Success for "Gonzo Journalism"

by Peter Richardson

Hunter S. Thompson's emergence as a major media figure came from the convergence of the souring of John F. Kennedy-style liberalism and collaborations with fellows like illustrator Ralph Steadman who launched HST's interpretive and visceral style as a critique of the Nixon years. 

Peter Richardson on Hunter S. Thompson and the Long Shadow of the Counterculture

by Aaron J. Leonard

"His historical significance, I think, lies in his willingness to challenge the nation’s political class, including the leaders of both major parties. He didn’t do that in established journals of opinion."

Utopia’s Settler Colonialism Problem

by Jessica Namakkal

The commune movements of the 1960s counterculture were organized around a number of pernicious assumptions about indigenous people and the prerogatives of whites to settle and reorganize land. 

America's Only LGBTQ Historic District Is Falling Apart

"Because of centuries of general anti-gay sentiment and laws punishing queerness, little queer history has been preserved, and much of it has been erased."

The Hardhat Riot: Nixon, New York City, And The Dawn Of The White Working-Class Revolution (Review)

Historian Michael Koncewicz reviews a new book on the notorious "Hard Hat Riot," when a mob of construction workers and Wall Street traders attacked antiwar protesters; the incident remains a touchstone for thinking about the politics of class and the culture war. 

Counterculture Memoirist Sharon Dukett on what We Learned (and Forgot) from the Hippies

A new memoir by Sharon Dukett recounts the down side of the 1960s counterculture: poverty, police harassment, and rampant sexism. 

Remember Punk Rock? Probably Not…: The Real Culture War of 1980s America

by Kevin Mattson

Digging beneath the aesthetics of punk to find its politics, Kevin Mattson's new book finds a counterculture of suburban youths who identified the unrestrained capitalism of the Reagan era as the true nihilism threatening America.

Athens’s Revolutionaries: A Review Of "Cool Town"

Alex Sayf Cummings reviews Grace Elizabeth Hale's "Cool Town" on the rise of 1980s alternative culture in Athens, Georgia, for the blog of the Urban History Association. 

An Unlikely Bohemia: Athens, Georgia, in Reagan's America

by Grace Elizabeth Hale

Athens kids built the first important small-town American music scene and the key early site of what would become alternative or indie culture.

Remembering Altamont, the Day the Sixties Died

by James Thornton Harris

On a sunny Saturday in the dusty hills east of San Francisco, the Altamont Rock Concert dissolved into chaos, leaving four dead and dozens injured. James Thorton Harris reflects on his experience at Altamont on its 50th anniversary. 

Can a 1960s-like Counterculture Emerge?

by Walter G. Moss

Today we have just as much reason to protest as did the 1960’s dissidents. We need a counterculture, or an opposing culture or way of life, to embolden our emotions and imaginations and challenge "throaway" consumer culture. 

How The Media Covered Woodstock – and How Woodstock Changed The Media

by Harlan Lebo

Woodstock was a milestone – not just in coverage of the music scene, but also in broader media exploration of social and economic issues that affect younger audiences. 

Counterculture 1969: a Gateway to the Darkest and the Brightest

by Harlan Lebo

The question of how counterculture emerges is a reflection of an era, with results that produced the worst and best of a generation.

The Cultural History Behind Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood

by David L. O'Connor

Like most folktales, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood is filled with interesting characters, events, and messages from a bygone era.  

Review of Michael J. Kramer's "The Republic of Rock"

by Ron Briley

How hippie music became a bastion of "hip capitalism."