Published by Indiana University Press, “Empire” is a panoramic portrait of Goth from its inception as a British punk culture spin-off to its rise to prominence in such figures as Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails to its undeserved present-day stigma as a supposedly contributing cause of the
Siegel, a professor of American Studies and English, uses her background in gender and cultural theory to explore how the innocuous elements of Goth ideology (such as individualism, secular humanism, sexual tolerance and anticonsumerism) have been misconstrued and maligned by social conservatives, especially in the aftermath of the Columbine tragedy.
“Contrary to popular belief, the perpetrators at the school weren’t Goths. They were, in fact, hated by the real Goths at school,” Siegel said. “One of the questions I seek to answer is what defines Goth and why this subculture has been vilified by people who don’t understand.”
Columbine wasn’t the first time Goths took a hit to their reputation. They have been marginalized throughout their brief history in the West because of their continued resistance to the prevailing economic, religious and sexual regimes.
Originally called “positive punks” because of their optimistic outlook on society,
“Goths are nonviolent. They reject traditional consumerism, and they have a completely different beauty standard outside the mechanism of advertising. They also tolerate homosexuality and unconventional gender roles, something that you don’t often see in high schools where athletes are the socially dominant group,” Siegel said.
Siegel has a doctorate from the
Book Information
“Goth’s Dark Empire”
by Carol Siegel
Published by
224 pages, hardcover $49.95 or paperback $19.95
Available through Powell’s City of
