NCJ Number
173494
Journal
Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology Volume: 34 Issue: 2 Dated: May 1997 Pages: 125-154
Date Published
1997
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This research examined the violent behavior and the political consciousness of Canadian male street "skinheads."
Abstract
The skinhead sample from which the study data were drawn came from a larger project that focused on street youth and crime in Edmonton from January through June of 1993. To be eligible for the study, youths had to be under the age of 24 and not attending school. Only male youths were approached for the study, so that ethical concerns associated with questions directed at respondents' sexual and physical victimization were minimized. All 14 of the skinheads approached, including the researcher's initial contacts, met the study criteria. All members of the sample were homeless, and the majority made their home in an abandoned warehouse near the center of the city. Others moved regularly between the warehouse and acquaintances' apartments. Information obtained from interviews with the 14 skinheads showed that they came from homes characterized by extreme violence and oppression. These experiences conditioned these youths to engage in violent behavior themselves, and this tendency toward violence was exacerbated by their school experiences, their homelessness, and the group and street norms that support and promote aggressive behavior. The political consciousness of skinheads was rooted in extreme violence and lacked coherence; this, combined with the structure of the groups and their histories of oppression, served to inhibit long-term organized political activity. 79 references