The Graffiti Subculture: Youth, Masculinity and Identity in London and New York

by N. Macdonald

This book is the most extensive contribution to our understanding of the graffiti subculture to date. Using insights from ethnographic research conducted in London and New York, the author explores the varying ways young men use graffiti to construct masculinity, claim power and establish independence from the institutions which define and often limit them as young people. Forging a link between subcultural practice and identity construction, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in new understandings of youth and their subcultures.

• ISBN13: 9780333781913
• Publish Date: 19 July 2001 (first published 1 January 2001)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 256
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joséphine]

Clearly written with a lot of interview data to back up claims. MacDonald's research was very clearly directed by available subcultural research and she framed her findings accordingly. When she encountered results that didn't seem to fit very neatly into available theories, she made efforts to account for these. She also tried to come to terms with the position of females in graffiti and how they are viewed by their male counterparts. She clearly acknowledged that she was a female researcher and admitted that that likely had an impact on her research although she also explored how being female was in her favour. All in all, a good attempt at objectivity whilst recognizing the subjective views of a researcher. Framing of theories in the CCCS school of thought was also done extensively. Perhaps it would have been useful to explore American traditions as well, especially since research was conducted in not only London but in New York as well.