Soviet Youth Culture

``Nothing is clear-cut for young people anymore,'' laments a Soviet historian discussing the effects of the quick, dramatic transitions from traditional to modern and rural to urban ways of life in the U.S.S.R. A fragmented youth culture has emerged, with punks and hippies, bikers, Zen Buddhists, neo-Nazi and vigilante groups alongside more conventional students, agriculturists and industrialists. With the new policies of perestroika and glasnost , this particular generation constitutes an unusually important subject, both at home and abroad. Assembled by a professor of Russian studies at Bradford College (Mass.), these essays examine rock music culture, rural youth, the role of school and youth groups, the counterculture and conservatives. Solid historical background and analysis is supplemented by excerpts from interviews, rock lyrics and other media. The voices of the youths themselves are the most exciting material. The academic tone of the essays may discourage the layperson; for those undaunted, however, this book provides a wealth of information and insight. (Mar.)