Date of Award

12-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in History

Department

History

First Reader/Committee Chair

Johnson, Diana

Abstract

Post-punk and Hardcore played a pivotal role in creating a youth identity in Orange County that created a stark contrast to the more recognized Republican image of O.C. during the late 1970s and early 1980s. While historians view this era of California for its Republican ties with former presidents such as Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon, we overlook the much more underground, yet important, identity created by many of the adolescents and young adults during this time. Though it is essential to recognize these Republican ties as they play a key role in understanding political dynamics and cultural studies that helped define the late 1970s and early 80’s in California, it’s essential to look beyond at what was going on a macro scale and start to look at the county in a more micro context. Throughout this thesis, I aim to examine the overall youth movement centered in Orange County during these years. The overall goal is to gain an understanding of how groups of rejected “punk” adolescents created an underground movement that shaped the entire culture and sound of an entire state, yet remains neglected and ignored by much of today’s California history. By examining their fight, struggles, music, and culture, I hope to bring the conversation of Punk rock, Post-Punk, and hardcore into the same conversation as Grassroots Republicanism in Orange County, California. In doing so, I hope to contribute to the overall California Historiography by expanding the existing textbooks on California history to include the “punk” movement developed here, as it provides a richer understanding of our state's political and cultural history.

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