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Drugs, Clubs and Young People: Sociological and Public Health Perspectives by B. Sanders (Ed.)

2007; Wiley; Volume: 46; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1468-2311.2007.00489_2.x

1468-2311

Gemma Clarke,

Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management

Aldershot : Ashgate ( 2006 ) 208pp. £50.00hb ISBN 0-7546-4699-8 Dance music culture has long since posed a problem for academics and social policy makers alike: simultaneously a location of criminal – and often violent – behaviour, but also a popular form of entertainment for young people, and a burgeoning part of the economy in post-industrial societies, as part of the rapidly growing night-time economy (NTE) sector. Some academic attempts to interpret the dance floor have dismissed it as meaningless and conformist (Baudrillard 1977), but when the rapid spread of the Ecstasy and illegal rave parties caused clashes with the law – first in Britain, culminating in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of 1994, and later in America, with the R.A.V.E. Act of 2002 – dance music became celebrated as an anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist symbolic space (McRobbie 1994; Redhead 1993). However, as the scene grew, it became increasingly marginalised and dropped off research agendas. In Britain at least, the dearth of literature on dance music culture is surprising given Home Office figures which indicate the large proportion of young people using ‘dance drugs’ (Roe and Man 2006). However, given the difficulties of researching rave and the liminal space it inhabits between criminal subculture and commercial mainstream, it is perhaps less surprising. These issues have created a gap, perhaps a generational one, in the rich sociological tradition of literature on subcultures and drugs. Drugs, Clubs and Young People edited by Bill Sanders begins to fill this gap and affirms the importance of placing this subject back onto the mainstream agenda of social science. The book comprises ten chapters, on a wide range of subjects illustrating the complexity of the ‘post-rave’ scene. Each essay presents an insight into contemporary drug usage and popular youthful behaviours across the world. All of the essays use solid empirical methods to illuminate their subjects, and all but two present original data. The aim is to ‘explore and analyse behaviours common at raves and nightclubs through sociological and public health perspectives’ (p.xii). By recognising the increasing normalisation of drugs and the commoditisation of club culture, the authors approach these issues primarily as public health concerns rather than criminal justice ones. The collection is divided into four sections. The first section provides an introduction to club culture, including a reflexive approach by Fiona Measham and Karenza Moore. Drawing on their 25 years of experience studying dance music, they discuss the paradoxical role of insider status; both helping and hindering investigations. The authors argue that insider status has provided crucial insights but has also limited research, as – aside from ethical and legal considerations – full immersion in the scene is often regarded with suspicion by other academics. The second section of the book deals with clubs and drugs in and around New York City. The data presented in the chapters illustrate that club drug users do not fit the commonly-portrayed US media stereotype; the majority are not reckless and dangerous. These findings reveal the inadequacy of US drugs and health education, recommending that future campaigns be aimed at a more diverse audience which perceives drug use as normal. The third section examines the use of club drugs apart from nightclub settings. It includes a literature review of previously published research on Ketamine, and a statistical analysis of Ecstasy use among young, low-income, female users in the US, a group which is ‘at-risk’ and typically under-represented in the data. The final section of the book concentrates on international perspectives. In the only chapter to focus exclusively on club culture outside the Anglo-American world, Laider, Hunt, MacKenzie and Evans provide an analysis of the emergence of clubs and drugs in Hong Kong. They found that ‘while the dance drug experience in Hong Kong reflects global developments within the electronic dance music scene, developments in Hong Kong highlight the importance of considering local influences’ (p.120). In the case of Hong Kong, this has meant the rapid progression to a commoditised ‘post-rave’ scene, and the influence of Ketamine outside of nightclubs in everyday life. In one of the key chapters of the book, Bill Sanders presents the results of an impressive 18-month ethnography as a complete participant in a large London nightclub, working as a security guard (or ‘bouncer’). In recent years, ethnographies of bouncers in UK nightclubs have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity (for example, see Hobbs et al. 2003; Hobbs et al. 2007; Monaghan 2002; Winlow 2001). Sanders's study, however, is one of the few to focus primarily on illegal drug supply by security guards. He outlines how drugs – principally Ecstasy, but also cocaine – were sold to club-goers, and how the drugs economy was embedded within the wider drugs culture of the club. As a fitting conclusion to the book, Daniel Silverstone completes the international trilogy with an excellent sociological account of the contemporary tensions in UK nightlife. Examining the intersections of consumerism, violence, ethnicity and social control in three areas of nightlife – pub space, rave space and urban space – he argues that the increased choice, the ever-present sense of risk, the rapid speed at which fashions change and the globalisation of culture in the night-time economy represent a microcosm of wider postmodern trends. Overall, the volume successfully interweaves methods and perspectives from public health and sociology. It provides an interesting new perspective on criminal behaviour in the night-time economy. I would have liked to have seen further development of theoretical ideas in the chapters and more locations in the global section which would have added to the book's already wide-ranging and international perspective. However, I appreciate that one volume cannot cover everything. Moreover, such suggestions illustrate how much more research is needed in this area. While there has been increasing research on alcohol-related crime and disorder, club culture (which has made the transition from counter-culture to popular global phenomenon) has been its poorer cousin. This is an excellent collection of essays, which will appeal to any interested reader, but it also entails a scientific approach suitable for practitioners and academics, providing much needed empirical data in an under-researched area.