Authenticity in independent music in the context of subcultural capital and the case of Mevzu Records

Since the mid-1960s, French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu has focused his work on the ability of privileged groups to define their cultures as superior to the cultures of lower classes, which he called "cultural capital". Subcultural capital, which was introduced into the literature by the British researcher Sarah Thornton in order to integrate Bourdieu's work into the cultural studies tradition, according to Thornton; "points to an alternative hierarchy in which the axes of age, gender, sexuality and race create a 'space' that provides a basis for escape from class, income and occupational determinations" (1995: 164). The ethnographic approach of Chicago school researchers emphasizing participant observation, followed by the development of this approach with the Birmingham school and finally the use of subcultural capital; has shaped today's popular music research. This study aims to explain the systems of distinction underlying the debates in the Turkish Punk Scene and the functioning of the struggles for autonomy in the cultural field in the case of the independent label Mevzu Records, which defines itself as a "DIY omnifarious punk label". The data obtained during the field research shows that Mevzu Records engages in debates that can determine the political agenda within the scene. These debates involve self-referential attributions of authenticity and reveal the latent structure of systems of distinction in subcultural communities.