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Papers by Rebecca Binns

Punk & Post-Punk, 2023

The artist Jamie Reid passed away at his home in Liverpool in August 2023, aged 76. His iconoclas... more The artist Jamie Reid passed away at his home in Liverpool in August 2023, aged 76. His iconoclastic designs for the Sex Pistols, featuring ransom-note lettering and lurid colouring, have become the quintessential punk aesthetic. His now ubiquitous image of the Queen with a safety pin through her lip, nowadays seemingly as threatening as a Beefeater guarding the palace, belies the shock it inspired as part of the promotional campaign for the Sex Pistols's single, 'God Save the Queen' (1977). The record itself was banned from the airwaves (but reached number one in the charts regardless). Despite his lifelong antipathy towards institutions, and an earlier lack of artworld validation, Reid's work occupies an important place in British art and cultural history. The last fifteen years has seen punk graphics gain more mainstream recognition in prominent exhibitions and publications. The Victoria and Albert Museum (London) and the Jon Savage Archive (John Moores University, Liverpool) hold collections of his work. Ironically, Reid's fame in the previously derided medium of punk graphics eclipses knowledge of the varied, more nuanced body of art-including a sizeable collection of political protest work-he produced throughout his life.

Contemporary British History, 2022

This article explores the role of subcultural activism in the Stop the City Protests (STC), 1983-... more This article explores the role of subcultural activism in the Stop the City Protests (STC), 1983-1984. It shows how protestors broke with the consensual approach of overarching political organisations, chiefly the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), using direct action tactics to shut down the City of London, which was emerging as a strategic centre for globalised capitalism. STC is shown to be on a continuum with the radicalism of the preceding decades, with bands, including Crass and Poison Girls bridging the gap to anarcho-punk. This article innovates by combining official evidence, in the form of police briefing notes, with ‘ground-up’ activist materials and fanzines, to evaluate the approach and ideology of the protestors and the police, thereby tracing the increasingly intolerant policing methods that were adopted during key political battles of the 1980s, including The Miners’ Strike and The Battle of the Beanfield. Questioning the extent to which Thatcherism was the hegemonic project of the 1980s, it demonstrates how STC was at odds with the contemporaneous corporatisation of political activism, and thereby provided a model for the road protests and Reclaim the Streets movement of the 1990s, and fed into the anti-globalisation and environmental movements of the 21st century.

Ripped, torn and cut, 2018

Anarcho-punk emerged as a distinct strand of punk culture into the 1980s. Typically associated wi... more Anarcho-punk emerged as a distinct strand of punk culture into the 1980s. Typically associated with the band Crass, the tenets of anarcho-punk were also developed through artworks, writing and debate conducted within multiple punk fanzines. The chapter looks at the contested development of anarcho-punks politics and aesthetic.

Books by Rebecca Binns

Ripped, Torn and Cut: Pop, Politics and Punk Fanzines from 1976, 2018

From its inception, punk, as articulated through its fanzines, was anti-elitist; positioning itse... more From its inception, punk, as articulated through its fanzines, was anti-elitist; positioning itself against self-indulgent, outmoded rock stars and the pretentions of rock journalism. 1 Pioneering punk zine Sniffin' Glue (July 1976) and those that immediately followed 2 sought an authentic form of expression to relate directly with 'disaffected kids' who comprised the demographic of punk subculture. Against the hierarchical structure inherent in mainstream media, punk zines showed their egalitarian approach by encouraging readers to submit work or start their own fanzines. Readers were urged to be active participants rather than passive consumers. Punk zines-and fanzines more generally-were liberated from many of the marketing constraints associated with commercial magazines and as such they could foster alternative forms of communication and editorial content. This enabled their creators and readers to define their identity, political leanings and culture autonomously rather than in response to consumerist dictates. In particular, fanzines encouraged individuals and groups otherwise excluded from the cultural decision-making process to be actively engaged in the creation of alternative culture. Mark Perry set a precedent, writing in 1976: ' All you kids. Don't be satisfied with what we write. Go out and start your own fanzines … flood the market with punk writing. ' 3 Other fanzines, such as Panache and Sideburns, then helped to embed this sense of autonomous production as a practical ideal. Interestingly, however, while early punk zines engaged with

Organised by the Punk Scholars Network, the First International Postgraduate Symposium was an att... more Organised by the Punk Scholars Network, the First International Postgraduate Symposium was an attempt to consolidate the research that continues within this area of punk. Formed in 2011, the Punk Scholars Network (PSN) is an international Network that draws together interdisciplinary scholarly activity around the subject-matter of punk rock, and has been integral towards a number of recent academic conferences, including ‘Punk in Other Places: Transmission and Transmutation Symposium’ at Reading University, ‘No Sir, I Won’t: Reconsidering the Legacy of Crass and Anarcho-Punk Symposium’ and Oxford Brookes University and the forthcoming ‘Punk and Transgression Symposium’ at De Montfort University in 2015. The Network also has a panel on the 2015 ‘Keep is Simple, Make it Fast! Crossing Borders of Underground Music Scenes Conference,’ perhaps one of the largest punk/underground academic events in the world.

Although the PSN is aware of the academic reputation of publishing post-doctoral work, it also recognises the importance that postgraduate research has in keeping research in this area relevant. Therefore, the First International Postgraduate Symposium was a means of bringing together an international array of scholars who are currently researching and writing in this area. The central task of this work, therefore, is to provide a space for postgraduates to publish work that is on going but is also of a high academic standard. More specifically, each chapter adopts an essentially analytical perspective so as to raise questions initially over the international punk scene, including its form, structure and cultural significance.

Book Reviews by Rebecca Binns

Historical Studies in Education , 2023

pas expliqué la raison pour laquelle des chapitres sont inclus sur certains pays ou régions, mais... more pas expliqué la raison pour laquelle des chapitres sont inclus sur certains pays ou régions, mais pas sur d'autres. Il aurait pu, par exemple, être imaginé que des articles traitent de l'Allemagne dans le contexte de la réconciliation franco-allemande-la maison Heinrich Heine ouvre ses portes en 1956, sept ans avant le traité de l'Élysée-, ou des maisons ou fondations sur lesquelles l'historiographie semble, à compulser la bibliographie, à peu près inexistante, comme celles de l'Inde (évoquée par Legrandjacques) ou des États-Unis, mais aussi des élèves-ingénieurs d'Art et Métier. Il n'en reste pas moins que cet ouvrage présente un apport majeur non seulement pour l'histoire de la Cité, mais plus généralement pour l'histoire transnationale et globale de l'enseignement supérieur et des mondes étudiants, champs de recherche dynamiques qu'il s'agit désormais d'approfondir.

Punk & Post-Punk, 2023

The artist Jamie Reid passed away at his home in Liverpool in August 2023, aged 76. His iconoclas... more The artist Jamie Reid passed away at his home in Liverpool in August 2023, aged 76. His iconoclastic designs for the Sex Pistols, featuring ransom-note lettering and lurid colouring, have become the quintessential punk aesthetic. His now ubiquitous image of the Queen with a safety pin through her lip, nowadays seemingly as threatening as a Beefeater guarding the palace, belies the shock it inspired as part of the promotional campaign for the Sex Pistols's single, 'God Save the Queen' (1977). The record itself was banned from the airwaves (but reached number one in the charts regardless). Despite his lifelong antipathy towards institutions, and an earlier lack of artworld validation, Reid's work occupies an important place in British art and cultural history. The last fifteen years has seen punk graphics gain more mainstream recognition in prominent exhibitions and publications. The Victoria and Albert Museum (London) and the Jon Savage Archive (John Moores University, Liverpool) hold collections of his work. Ironically, Reid's fame in the previously derided medium of punk graphics eclipses knowledge of the varied, more nuanced body of art-including a sizeable collection of political protest work-he produced throughout his life.

Contemporary British History, 2022

This article explores the role of subcultural activism in the Stop the City Protests (STC), 1983-... more This article explores the role of subcultural activism in the Stop the City Protests (STC), 1983-1984. It shows how protestors broke with the consensual approach of overarching political organisations, chiefly the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), using direct action tactics to shut down the City of London, which was emerging as a strategic centre for globalised capitalism. STC is shown to be on a continuum with the radicalism of the preceding decades, with bands, including Crass and Poison Girls bridging the gap to anarcho-punk. This article innovates by combining official evidence, in the form of police briefing notes, with ‘ground-up’ activist materials and fanzines, to evaluate the approach and ideology of the protestors and the police, thereby tracing the increasingly intolerant policing methods that were adopted during key political battles of the 1980s, including The Miners’ Strike and The Battle of the Beanfield. Questioning the extent to which Thatcherism was the hegemonic project of the 1980s, it demonstrates how STC was at odds with the contemporaneous corporatisation of political activism, and thereby provided a model for the road protests and Reclaim the Streets movement of the 1990s, and fed into the anti-globalisation and environmental movements of the 21st century.

Ripped, torn and cut, 2018

Anarcho-punk emerged as a distinct strand of punk culture into the 1980s. Typically associated wi... more Anarcho-punk emerged as a distinct strand of punk culture into the 1980s. Typically associated with the band Crass, the tenets of anarcho-punk were also developed through artworks, writing and debate conducted within multiple punk fanzines. The chapter looks at the contested development of anarcho-punks politics and aesthetic.

Ripped, Torn and Cut: Pop, Politics and Punk Fanzines from 1976, 2018

From its inception, punk, as articulated through its fanzines, was anti-elitist; positioning itse... more From its inception, punk, as articulated through its fanzines, was anti-elitist; positioning itself against self-indulgent, outmoded rock stars and the pretentions of rock journalism. 1 Pioneering punk zine Sniffin' Glue (July 1976) and those that immediately followed 2 sought an authentic form of expression to relate directly with 'disaffected kids' who comprised the demographic of punk subculture. Against the hierarchical structure inherent in mainstream media, punk zines showed their egalitarian approach by encouraging readers to submit work or start their own fanzines. Readers were urged to be active participants rather than passive consumers. Punk zines-and fanzines more generally-were liberated from many of the marketing constraints associated with commercial magazines and as such they could foster alternative forms of communication and editorial content. This enabled their creators and readers to define their identity, political leanings and culture autonomously rather than in response to consumerist dictates. In particular, fanzines encouraged individuals and groups otherwise excluded from the cultural decision-making process to be actively engaged in the creation of alternative culture. Mark Perry set a precedent, writing in 1976: ' All you kids. Don't be satisfied with what we write. Go out and start your own fanzines … flood the market with punk writing. ' 3 Other fanzines, such as Panache and Sideburns, then helped to embed this sense of autonomous production as a practical ideal. Interestingly, however, while early punk zines engaged with

Organised by the Punk Scholars Network, the First International Postgraduate Symposium was an att... more Organised by the Punk Scholars Network, the First International Postgraduate Symposium was an attempt to consolidate the research that continues within this area of punk. Formed in 2011, the Punk Scholars Network (PSN) is an international Network that draws together interdisciplinary scholarly activity around the subject-matter of punk rock, and has been integral towards a number of recent academic conferences, including ‘Punk in Other Places: Transmission and Transmutation Symposium’ at Reading University, ‘No Sir, I Won’t: Reconsidering the Legacy of Crass and Anarcho-Punk Symposium’ and Oxford Brookes University and the forthcoming ‘Punk and Transgression Symposium’ at De Montfort University in 2015. The Network also has a panel on the 2015 ‘Keep is Simple, Make it Fast! Crossing Borders of Underground Music Scenes Conference,’ perhaps one of the largest punk/underground academic events in the world.

Although the PSN is aware of the academic reputation of publishing post-doctoral work, it also recognises the importance that postgraduate research has in keeping research in this area relevant. Therefore, the First International Postgraduate Symposium was a means of bringing together an international array of scholars who are currently researching and writing in this area. The central task of this work, therefore, is to provide a space for postgraduates to publish work that is on going but is also of a high academic standard. More specifically, each chapter adopts an essentially analytical perspective so as to raise questions initially over the international punk scene, including its form, structure and cultural significance.

Historical Studies in Education , 2023

pas expliqué la raison pour laquelle des chapitres sont inclus sur certains pays ou régions, mais... more pas expliqué la raison pour laquelle des chapitres sont inclus sur certains pays ou régions, mais pas sur d'autres. Il aurait pu, par exemple, être imaginé que des articles traitent de l'Allemagne dans le contexte de la réconciliation franco-allemande-la maison Heinrich Heine ouvre ses portes en 1956, sept ans avant le traité de l'Élysée-, ou des maisons ou fondations sur lesquelles l'historiographie semble, à compulser la bibliographie, à peu près inexistante, comme celles de l'Inde (évoquée par Legrandjacques) ou des États-Unis, mais aussi des élèves-ingénieurs d'Art et Métier. Il n'en reste pas moins que cet ouvrage présente un apport majeur non seulement pour l'histoire de la Cité, mais plus généralement pour l'histoire transnationale et globale de l'enseignement supérieur et des mondes étudiants, champs de recherche dynamiques qu'il s'agit désormais d'approfondir.