The history of goth culture goes far beyond Bauhaus, the Cure, and copious amounts of black eyeliner. In fact, you can trace its roots as far back as the barbarian outsiders of post-Roman late antiquity. In their book, The Evolution of Goth Culture, scholars Karl and Beverley Spracklen trace the movement’s trajectory through the ages, from its genesis to its eventual progression into modern gothic alternative culture.

Spracklen will be joined by writer and lead singer of  The March Violets, Rosie Garland, and researcher of Gothic Manchester Festival, Laura Ager, to discuss goth’s place then and now, the moral panics surrounding it, and the growing commodification of goth music, fashion, and counter-cultural resistance.

This event will be held in the beautiful gothic surroundings of Bradford Cathedral, so tighten your corsets and meet us at the altar.

We are thrilled to host this exciting event, in partnership with the Emerald Foundation.

 

About The Speakers

Laura Ager

Laura Ager is a researcher, educator, event organiser and relentless cultural enthusiast. From an early interest in 1990s sub-cultures to a recent PhD in festivals, Laura’s interests are in the connections between people, practices and places. She writes for several blogs and her latest project is the Yorkshire based pop-up cine-club, Film Fringe.

 

Rosie Garland

Novelist, poet and singer with post-punk band The March Violets, Rosie Garland’s work appears in Under the Radar, TSS, Longleaf Review, The Rialto, Ellipsis and elsewhere. She’s authored three novels: The Palace of Curiosities, Vixen, & The Night Brother, which The Times described as “a delight…with shades of Angela Carter.”

Karl Spracklen

Karl Spracklen is a Professor of Sociology of Leisure and Culture at Leeds Beckett University, UK. He has published over a hundred papers, books and book chapters, all about leisure. His latest co-authored is The Evolution of Goth Culture (Emerald, 2018). He is the Principal Editor of Metal Music Studies.