Steampunk Tribes

One important thing to understand about steampunk when looking at elitism is that the culture is not homogenous. As a large community, steampunk consists of many different subgroups. In his article "Steampunk Tribes," Mike Perschon describes several of these subgroups, describing them as "tribes." The three tribes that I will discuss are what he calls the "Jeterists," "TruePunks" and the "Browncoat Timelords."

Describing the TruePunks, Perschon says they are "dismissive of those who see steampunk as a hobby or something 'fun'.... I've never been able to get one to admit that they're 'dressed up'" (10). The TruePunks' preoccupation with the idea of steampunk as a lifestyle and rejection of casual interest hints at the elitist tendencies seen in The Guild and some forum posts. By rejecting casual interest, the TruePunks run the risk of simultaneously rejecting newcomers and therefore appearing elitist and exclusive.

A Steampunk Bible: for TruePunks, steampunk is not "fun" or "a hobby"

In describing the Jeterists, Perschon explains that they "always seem to have read the latest steampunk book before you have." (9). This description itself does not seem to hint at elitism, instead only suggesting a literary interest. However, in his other descriptions, Perschon frequently groups them with the TruePunks as the members of the culture that do not welcome newcomers or casual fans, suggesting that they are hostile to fans of steampunk that have not read the core three of "Verne, Wells, or Burroughs" (9). By rejecting potential fans who have not read the "proper" novels, the Jeterists could also be seen as engaging in the kind of elitism of which steampunk is often accused.

The Jeterist equivalent of the Steampunk Bible

In his article, Perschon describes newcomers to the steampunk community as "Boneshakers," explaining them as "Johnny-come lately to the steampunk party – people who have gotten into the scene since Cherie Priest released Boneshaker" (10). It is through Boneshakers' interactions with the Jeterists and TruePunks that Perschon fully illustrates the exclusionary tendencies of the two subgroups: "Depending on how gracious the Jeterist or TruePunk you're talking to is, you might want to lie about being a Boneshaker, since you may be dismissed outright as having anything of value to add to the culture." (10). The two tribes of Jeterists and TruePunks are suggested as being hostile to newcomers, and dismissive of anyone who is not valuable to the steampunk culture. This portrayal suggests that the elitism seen in some works is not an issue with the culture of steampunk as a whole, but instead a characteristic of particular subgroups within the greater culture.

In contrast to the Jeterists and TruePunks, Perschon describes the Browncoat Timelords (BT): "the BT's just want to give you a hug. They're really nice people who talk to everyone at cons, making sure everyone feels welcome and included. If you are a Boneshaker, these are the best people to hang around with." (10). Being described as welcoming and inclusive, the BTs challenge the notion that steampunk is an elitist culture. The existence of BTs suggests that - even if elitism is present in steampunk - it is not an issue that exists throughout the entire community.

Browncoat Timelords just want to give you a hug

  
In describing how a "Carriger Pigeon" (fashionable steampunk) would explain how to fix a corset, Perschon's article gives an example of the two extremes that can be demonstrated by the different tribes: "A BT Carriger Pigeon will do this with grace. A Jeterist or TruePunk Carriger Pigeon will simply mock you from afar." (10). By presenting a situation in which members of different steampunk subcultures would react very differently, this article stresses the varied nature of steampunk culture and the importance of recognizing the variety of different subgroups that make it up.

The different types of tribes discussed in Perschon's article are similar to Jess Nevins' discussion of prescriptivists and descriptivists, as she explains: "The prescriptivists maintain that there's only one true definition of the term, and the descriptivists, whose preferred definition is much broader. Most (though by no means all) prescriptivists hew to the traditional, Jeter/Nicholls definition, while the descriptivists usually alter their definition" (Nevins).


Nevins' article is very similar to Perschon's, and a similar distinction could be made between prescriptivists as the members of the steampunk community who could be suggested as creating a more "elite" image, and the descriptivists as the inclusive, welcoming members. However, the problem with Nevins' article is that it divides the community into two distinct groups: while it recognizes that steampunk is not homogenous, it still reduces it to being made up of only two sides, which is still a very limited vision of the culture. Perschon, on the other hand, discusses seven separate tribes, and then mentions ways in which these tribes can overlap and cross over. This separation of steampunk into seven overlapping subcultures gives a better idea of how varied the culture is, giving a better perspective on how elitism is not a clear-cut issue, but a complex situation that depends on the behaviour of individual groups within the steampunk community. I use Perschon's terminology, as I would argue that his various tribes are a more effective way of looking at variety in steampunk culture than simply dividing the community into two opposing groups.

Whether looking at steampunk as made up of tribes or being divided into halves, it is clear from these two articles that steampunk is not a homogenous, static culture. Examining any trend in steampunk - such as the issue of elitism - therefore requires a consideration of the various different subgroups that make up steampunk. Therefore, while The Guild's representation of elitism may be true of some members of the steampunk community, it is not an accurate representation of the culture as a whole.

Works Cited
Nevins, Jess. "It's Time to Rethink Steampunk." i09. 27 Jan. 2012. Web. http://io9.com/5879231/its-time-to-rethink-steampunk. 12 Dec. 2013.

Perschon, Mike. "Steampunk Tribes." Exhibition Hall 7 (2010): 9-11. http://exhibitionhallzine.weebly.com/. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.