Dette er siste tekst-versjon av artikkelen, og den kan inneholde små forskjeller fra forlagets pdf-versjon. Forlagets pdf-versjon finner du på www.sage.com: http://dx.doi. org/10.1177/1012690214526402 This is the final text version of the article, and it may contain minor differences from the journal's pdf version. The original publication is available at www.sage.com: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1012690214526402 Identity constructions among breakdancers Tonje F LangnesNorwegian School of Sport Sciences, Norway Kari FastingNorwegian School of Sport Sciences, Norway AbstractThe hip-hop culture has evolved from the ghettos of The Bronx, New York in the 1970s, into a global phenomenon. Despite such prominence there is an absence of academic research on the hip-hop culture element: breakdance. Through eight months of participant observations and 17 qualitative interviews, this study investigates the identity construction process among breakdancers with diverse ethnic backgrounds in Norway. The aim is to provide an insight into the lives of young people and their impression management in constructing a breaker identity. The analysis highlights the complex and contested nature of breakdance as it is experienced and viewed by young people performing breakdance in Norway. Through deliberate impression management the breakdancers construct an alternative identity detached from other social categories. As a result, breakdance seems to counter social oppression and to have an empowering and liberating potential different from the common stigmatization and stereotypical prejudices regarding gender and ethnicity that many have experienced. Keywords ethnicity, gender, impression management, subculture, youthThe performance of breaking, better known as breakdance, is for many young people an activity that involves identity construction and a sense of belonging. As one of the elements in the hip-hop culture (Pabon, 2012), breaking has evolved into one of the most prominent youth cultures of today. However, despite this global popularity, relatively modest social research has been conducted on the element of breaking. The aim of this study is therefore to contribute to better knowledge about youth and breaking. As a global phenomenon, breaking seems to offer an identity to youth all over the world and the purpose of this paper is to discuss the identity construction process among young breakers (persons who perform breaking) in Oslo, Norway. Before continuing to the theoretical framework, methodology, results and discussion, a brief overview of the historical context and earlier research of breaking will be presented.
This article explores how masculinity is exhibited among young male breakers in Oslo, Norway. It is part of a larger project drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and 17 semistructured interviews with male and female breakers. The article focuses on the 11 male breakers, as the objective is to analyse how young male breakers construct their masculinitieshow these are formed, performed and (re)negotiated through breaking. The results show that the breakers' masculinity constructions are formed from breaking's legacy, which works as a frame for their masculinity performances. Through a combination of Connells's social theory of masculinities and social interactionism, I discuss how the breakers' collective performance of an exaggerated, aggressive masculinity signifies resistance to hegemonic masculinity in the gender order.
The focus of this paper concerns the meaning of breaking in the lives of young people living in Oslo, Norway. Meaning arises in the process of interaction with other people (social interaction) and self-reflection. The data are produced by the use of fieldwork (eight months) among young breakers at two sites in Oslo referred to as the Location, and included 17 separate semi-structured interviews. The interviewees were six females and 11 males, all of them breakers, aged between 15 and 30 years old. Seven of the interviewees belonged to different minority groups, while ten were ethnic Norwegians. The results show that through the interaction at the Location youth with diverse ethnic backgrounds experienced a strong sense of identification and belonging, not only to local breaking crews (groups) but also affiliation with breakers all over the world. The meaning of breaking was constructed around the feeling of freedom to “just be yourselves”. The breakers connected with themselves and their bodies, and experienced a sense of importance and respect. Consequently, the breakers also felt empowered in situations disconnected from the dance context.
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