Layla Fassa (Alum Berlin ’19) writes for Hyperallergic on the release of The Punk Reader (Intellect Books), a contemporary look at punk – from the global to the local. Layla explains, ‘…to understand what it is to be punk in the 21st century, a group of scholars who identify as punks, have gathered their research into an insightful book.’

“If you ask kids these days what “punk music” is you’ll be casting a wide net. You’re just as likely to hear about Lil Uzi Vert or Warped Tour (RIP) as you are the Ramones or CBGB. If the query is extended to lifestyle, punk might align with the politics of AntiFa or the rise and fall and rise again of Hot Topic. Of course, these are decidedly United States-centric examples; elements of punk have colored a vast swath of global culture while maintaining a countercultural hue. To understand what it is to be punk in the 21st century, one has to become comfortable with double vision, looking at global cultural exchange while digging into local contexts. A group of scholars who, by and large, also identify as punks, have gathered their research into a book that embraces this double vision.”

“Punk is not perfect and neither is this book”, acknowledge the editors of The Punk Reader…

Read Layla’s full take here.

The Punk Reader: Research Transmissions from the Local to the Global (2019) is published by Intellect Books and is available from Amazon or your local independent bookstore.

About Layla Fassa
Layla Fassa is a writer and independent researcher based in Mexico City. Her criticism has appeared in Art in America, Artforum, Frieze, and Resident Advisor, among other publications.