The "punk" in cyberpunk is obvious. The protagonists are "high-tech low-lifes," hackers, outcasts, criminals (or declared criminal by the state), using technology to rebel against an oppressive government and evil corporations.

But what's the "punk" in steampunk?

It's hard to see the rebellion in upper-class men in top hats and ladies in corsets, no matter how many gears or goggles they wear. While cyberpunk takes place in a globalized, multi-cultural future, steampunk seems particularly white and Christian. On both sides of the Atlantic, the Victorian era saw some of the worst conditions in world history: robber barons, workhouses, colonialism, pollution, child labor, forced sterilization for the "unfit," horrendous sanitation, hopeless poverty. The setting is just as dystopian as cyberpunk. It's a perfect setting for outcasts and criminals—and social commentary. So where is it?

In an article about steampunk for the Tor blog, Jaymee Goh suggests the "punk" qualities are "the DIY ethic, the devil-may-care attitude of people who dress well even when there’s no reason to, [and] the hard look we take at Victoriana’s problems." She goes on to say that "some of us are actually activists," meaning the rebellious quality comes first, and the costumes second. As she puts it, "Some of us put the punk into our steam, and some of us steam up our punk."

The website for the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences (a series of steampunk novels written by different authors) takes a similar view: "Steampunk, at least the way we see it, gets its 'punk' not in its dystopian view of the world or even in its gritty edge. The 'punk' in 'steampunk' comes from going against convention that, through creativity and declaration of one’s individuality, be it through style, gadgets, or attitude, sets one apart."

That's a nice message of inclusion and tolerance. But is it "punk"?

Sci-fi artist and author Josh Finney suggests that it's the literary genre of steampunk itself that's "punk," since it defies the conventions of science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction. It wasn't the setting that defined steampunk, or cyberpunk before it: "It was the attitude behind the prose. These authors wielded words like flaming Molotov cocktails being hurled at the literary establishment. They didn't play nice. They didn't follow the rules. And they constantly challenged the accepted principles of genre."

Brigid Cherry and Maria Mellins, in their essay on steampunk for the journal Punk & Post-Punk, take a similar view, focusing on the real-world fans and cosplayers instead of the issues raised by the books and movies themselves: "[S]teampunk, like punk, rejects the norm, and makes a display of difference. The activities of the steampunk community not only intersect with punk and alternative music subcultures, but also exist in the intersections of subculture and fan culture."

Steampunk author Paul Jessup offers more clues. He worries about the "empire love" of the genre—that is, a defense of imperialism—and is troubled by most stories' "white-washed cast." But he also sees writers who share those concerns: "We need to see more books with an anti-empire bent, about anarchists trying to overthrow the evils of colonialism and the wrongs of a monarchy."

One of the best answers I've come across is from the GURPS worldbook on the genre. In it, William H. Stoddard writes: "Characters in serious literature, and most real people, faced more complex problems" than the standard behaviors of Victorian society. "In fact, all the elements of the cyberpunk outlook already existed in 19th-century society—but not necessarily together." He goes on to list the cultural rebellions that were underway during the era:

"The politics of the time was filled with turmoil," including the uprisings of 1848, the birth of socialism, and the women's suffrage movement.





"The working class began to organize politically."





"Intellectuals began to question religion and morality," overturning centuries of ethical and philosophical thinking.





The concept of alienation was discussed and examined, with characters who were "social outcasts such as Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights or as literally alien beings such as Frankenstein’s monster."

Stoddard concludes, "[I]f players want their characters to be outsiders or criminals or revolutionaries, they can find historical and literary prototypes." So perhaps the "punk" was in steampunk all along.

Finally, I reached out to author Lindsay Kitson of the Punkettes blog, a resource for steampunk, clockpunk, and other "punks." She, too, cautioned me from associating the free-wheeling cosplay of steampunk fans from the darker, deeper issues explored in steampunk fiction. When I asked her where the "punk" is in steampunk, she replied by email, "[Y]ou're not going to find it in the people wearing top hats and corsets and mechanical wings at conventions; you're going to find it in the books and movies that inspire those fashions."

Kitson went on to note the conflict between "lazy" Victoriana enthusiasts, who "don't have the time or money to invest in historical accuracy, and see steampunk as a place where they can do their thing half-assed because anything goes" and the steampunk "snobs," who "try to define what steampunk is by trying to demand historical accuracy[...]and exclude what they call wannabes who 'just glue some gears on it and call it steampunk.'" But, she says, "both sides are forgetting the 'punk' roots, which have always been some kind of counterculture idea, because that presentation of ideas really only comes out in fiction, not in fashion or visual art."

So steampunk can indeed have a "punk" attitude, as protagonists on the losing side of progress struggle to overthrow authoritarian regimes. It includes issues of race, class, and gender, which still aren't resolved in the 21st century. Perhaps we shouldn't expect cosplayers to convey all these heavy ideas.

Where's the "punk" in steampunk? It's in the belief that even the weakest and poorest among us can prevail over exploitation, marginalization, and oppression. And that's a philosophy that's certainly relevant today.