Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Notions of ‘Us and Them’: markers of stratification in clubbing lifestyles

2004; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 7; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/1367626042000209958

1469-9680

Rhoda MacRae,

Music History and Culture

This article discusses the routine ways in which young people call on material, cultural and interactional resources to assemble typifications in dance club cultures. These constructs highlight the divisions and distinctions that illustrate what Hollands (2002 Hollands, R. (2002). 'Divisions in the dark: youth cultures, transitions and segmented consumption spaces in the night‐time economy'. Journal of Youth Studies, vol. 5(no. 2): pp. 153–171[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) calls the structuration of youth cultures. My findings suggest that in elective cultural groups such as clubbers, notions of 'us and them' are present; these are related to the process of 'becoming a clubber'. These processes and practices are not just associated with cultural taste, but also cultural knowledge. In order to conceptualise these findings I look to various theoretical frameworks that have been used to understand the lives of young people in relation to their lifestyles, cultural groups, capitals and identities. I discuss the utility of such frameworks, as well as the concepts that have been used to understand club culture itself. My analysis drew me to the work of Schutz (1967 Schutz A (1967) Phenomenology of the Social World trans. G. Walsh & F. Lehnert, Northwestern University Press, Evanston, IL [Google Scholar], 1970 Schutz A (1970a) Reflections on the Problems of Relevance ed. and intro. R. M. Zaner, Yale University Press, New Haven and London [Google Scholar]a, 1970 Schutz A (1970b) On Phenomenology and Social Relations ed. and intro. H. R. Wagner, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL [Google Scholar]b, 1973 Schutz A (1973) Collected Papers I: The Problem of Social Reality 4th edn, ed. and intro. M. Natanson Preface by H. L. Van Breda Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague [Google Scholar], 1976 Schutz A (1976) Collected Papers II: Studies in Social Theory 4th edn, ed. and intro. A. Brodersen, Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; Schutz & Luckmann 1974 Schutz A Luckmann T (1974) Structures of the Life World trans. R. M. Zaner & H. T. Engelhardt, Heinemann, London [Google Scholar]); this work helped illuminate the ways in which young people constructed typifications and cultural boundaries that were illustrative of their identification with and differentiation from 'others'. I outline some of the central notions found in the work of Schutz and illustrate how these were used in the analytic process. I suggest that the work of Schutz can be used in conjunction with the concept of social capital, the concept of lifestyle and symbolic interactionism to take account of the role of social divisions and status inequalities in lifestyle 'choices' and cultural affiliations of young people. The article concludes by suggesting that many of the study participants used knowledge in constructing 'otherness' as a powerful means of identification and differentiation, inclusion and exclusion.