NCJ Number
168556
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 36 Issue: 3 Dated: special issue (1996) Pages: 428-444
Date Published
1996
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This paper uses the biographical narratives of a group of young male offenders to explore some of the problems and possibilities of growing up male on the margins of civil society.
Abstract
Contemporary social theory draws attention to the role of consumption in the construction of the self. Constructing self-identity through consumption increasingly relies on global rather than parochial images and traditions, often proceeding via mimicry. The article looks briefly at the contemporary priority given to consumption, communication, leisure and agency in social relations, a promise of the good life which contrasts with reality. The article suggests that drug use, drug dealing and "normal" crime serve as important cultural and emotive resources for scripting a particular and powerful masculine identity on the street. There is a level of ontological security and trust to be found on the street which obviates some of the uncertainties and insecurities of being male on the margins of civil society. Thus, this article recasts some conventional themes in delinquency theory in the terms of modern social theory and cultural studies. Notes, references