The Routledge Handbook of the Sex Pistols

The Routledge Handbook of the Sex Pistols offers a dramatic new perspective on the cultural significance and legacies of an iconic punk band. In the early-mid 1970s, punk and the Pistols were instrumental in creating a cultural transition from the staid ‘black-and-white’ authorized era of post-war austerity to what was to become a more radical and creative future in which everybody had agency and a do-it-yourself ethos that transformed social norms. This book investigates how this transition occurred, and why the Sex Pistols were so influential in reshaping public life at this critical time in cultural history. On the occasion of the band’s 50th anniversary, the book reflects critically upon their influence, and why it has persisted.

With 33 original, in depth, and often highly-charged contributions from across five continents, and spanning multiple disciplines, perspectives, and areas of practice, the book draws out the band’s relevance and legacies through a diversity of topics arranged under four thematic headings: global geographies, style and media, sociological perspectives, and heritage and influence. Following a growth in punk writing over recent years, this book goes back to the roots, using the thematic approach to investigate one of punk’s formative and best-known proponents, and arguably the most controversial band ever to grace a stage: the Sex Pistols.

This valuable collection will appeal to those interested in and working across Music, Sociology, Media Studies, Cultural Geography, Social and Cultural Anthropology; Archaeology and Critical Heritage Studies; Fashion and Design, Politics and Communication Studies.