ALICE IN CHAINS. FROM ABJECTION TO GRUNGE (1987-1996)

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5216/sec.v28.81316

Abstract

The risk society, as conceptualized by sociologists such as Ulrich Beck and Anthony Giddens, and characterized by a series of radical social, political, technological and economic transformations since the 1980s, that has certainly had an influence on the cultural field. Visible above all in the creative youth strata – visual artists, fashion designers, musicians, etc. – the generational anxiety they share becomes (albeit unconsciously) the theme of their productions. A kind of ethos, similar to the one seen in the 1970s with the punk movement, in this work we
will try to think about grunge through its aesthetics, styles and sounds – from this analytical perspective. Taking the band Alice in Chains as a case study, in a diachronic section that extends from 1987 to 1996, we will discuss their lyrics, performances and the creation of a visual language in which concepts such as abjection and memento-mori are articulated.

Keywords: grunge; Alice in Chains; abjection; 1990s; risk society.

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Author Biographies

Henrique Grimaldi Figueredo, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora (UFJF), Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brasil, henriquegrimaldi.figueredo@ufjf.br

Professor da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora e doutor em Sociologia pela Universidade Estadual de Campinas.

Paula Guerra, Universidade do Porto (UP), Porto, Portugal, pguerra@letras.up.pt

Professora e doutora em Sociologia pela Universidade do Porto, Portugal.

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Published

2025-10-09

How to Cite

GRIMALDI FIGUEREDO, Henrique; GUERRA, Paula. ALICE IN CHAINS. FROM ABJECTION TO GRUNGE (1987-1996). Sociedade e Cultura, Goiânia, v. 28, 2025. DOI: 10.5216/sec.v28.81316. Disponível em: https://revistas.ufg.br/fcs/article/view/81316. Acesso em: 6 dec. 2025.

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Vol. 28 (2025)

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Free Articles

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