Exploring Older Punk Women’s Conceptualisation of ‘Punk’ through Participant-Created Zine Pages

Qualitative research is increasingly utilising ‘creative’ and/or ‘participatory’ methods. In this chapter, I will be exploring ‘zine pages as such a method. Whilst there has been an abundance of literature concerning pre-existing ‘zines as a source of data, less has been said concerning ‘zines created as part of a research study itself just as research is lacking when it comes to shedding light on the experiences of ageing punk women (as opposed to ageing punk men). This chapter reflects upon initial findings concerning how punk was conceptualised through zines pages created by my research participants (older punk women), locating this analysis through core punk values such as DIY, community, subversion and political consciousness (Way, 2020) whilst commenting on my ‘finding ageing’ within the participant-created zine pages. Building upon this then, the chapter considers methodological advantages and challenges of such a research approach in this context. Proposing that ‘zines commonly maintain a particular ‘ethos’, my chapter will reflexively explore how this played out in the context of my own research experiences and the extent to which their democratic and participatory ideal, DIY ethic, and their transformative potential were upheld.