Youth Gangs

1
Youth Gangs Ethnicity in AustraliaRob
WhiteUniversity of Tasmania
2
Youth Gangs Research

• history of youth gangs research in Australia
  pushes, bodgies
• widgies
• emphasis on qualitative methods interviews,
  observation,
• community workers
• community study vs gang research as such
• importance of local context Sydney,
  Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth,
• plus National Study
• not suburbs necessarily, but specific
  territorial directions arcs
• strips
• centrality of ethnicity, except for Hobart
• changing dynamics of group interaction in each
  locale historically, based upon age of
  interviewees, and changing nature of
  neighbourhoods

3
Dynamics of Deviancy

• social difference and community stigmatisation
  ethnic concentration ethnic mix emphasis on
  non-conformity relative powerlessness social
  marginalisaton
• moral panics and ethnic targeting naming media
  reports, variations depending upon time period,
  and which ethnic minority group depending upon
  city
• building a reputation where you hang out
  specific incidents
• importance of social identity ones place,
  resisting authority, masculinity identity,
  social valorisation
• social difference as social deviance
  marginalisation, criminalisation, vilification
• social transformation impact of Othering
  process, search for meaning, dealing with
  oppressive conditions potential for extreme
  violence

4
Basis of Group Membership

• identity ethnicity language locale and there
  is good and bad in everyone
• activity music rap, inclusive of others
  fighting inside outside of group
• territory locale name reputation inclusive
  notion we all live here
• criminality doing drugs anti-social violence
• masculinity boys-in-groups machismo fighting
  protection
• religion source of conflicts insults
• group membership is Lebanese but they are
  friends and/or familiar with other groups
• different groups will collaborate with each other
  (e.g., Samoan Lebanese)
• group membership is exclusive, but individual
  friendship is not

5
Dynamics of Violence

• Weapons
• nature of violence varies with distinct
  ethnic/cultural groups e.g., use of weapons
  which weapons symbolic place of weapons
• weapons and armed robbery
• weapons and age e.g., tied to younger teenagers,
  not older young adults
• The Body
• physicality related to ethnicity (body size
  shape), and type of sport (football, rugby union,
  rugby league)
• weapons are for wimps
• weapons are for those who cant fight
• Violence
• as normal form of conflict resolution in school
  and on the street
• notion of bad temper
• emphasis on acting hard
• importance of muscle for young men
• negotiating to not fight via middle man
• Rituals of Violence
• changes in rules of engagement more use of
  weapons