Punk and the Sacred

Mansions of the Future, Lincoln, 28-29th November 2019

A two-day in person and online symposium on the theme of Punk and the Sacred, organised by Francis Stewart and Mike Dines. The concept of the 'sacred' is often assumed to be closely aligned with 'religion' in a traditional sense. This symposium teased out some of the problematic nature of that assumption by examining two different approaches found within punk. The first looks at the blending and negotiation between sacred and religious in groups such as Krishnacore, Dharma Punx and Taqwacore. The second locates the sacred more firmly within the 'secular' by exploring the process through which things become special or sacred. The latter category explored the sacred sound of punk; the sacrality of record collecting; the incorporation of punk (music, ethics, dogma, rituals) into sacred ceremonies; the incorporation of religion (variously understood) within punk practice(s); and the development and influence of religious based music / punk labels.