A culture or movement that actively rejects and opposes the dominant values, norms, and institutions of mainstream society.
From counter- (against) + culture (the beliefs and practices of a society). Coined in the 1960s, this term gained widespread use to describe the youth movement that rejected materialism, traditional values, and establishment institutions during that era.
The word counterculture itself became the name for the 1960s movement—hippies, anti-war protests, psychedelic music—and now any generation that rebels against its parents' values can be described with this word, making it useful for understanding how society constantly reinvents itself.
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