“Burning the bridges”: escalation in the pursuit of authenticity

Abstract

We develop a process-based framework, articulating the escalation of difference between "private" self and "public" display as an alternative trajectory in the pursuit of authenticity to alignment and compromise. A parsimonious model presents an endogenous dynamic of binary choice that generates momentum toward polarization. The model is illustrated in the context of "black" metala branch of heavy metal music that appeared in Norway in the early 1990s, notorious for its involvement in criminal activities. Using fanzine data, we construct a narrative of how a process of escalation led to innovation and transgression through self-selection and exclusion. The analysis addresses two related theoretical problemswhat motivates actors to challenge normative scripts and "burn the bridges" to social acceptance, and why such challenges may prove more effective in achieving recognition than compromise. Examples from politics, culture and sports reinforce the importance of these problems.

Relations in Aesthetic Space: How Color Enables Market Positioning

“…The pursuit of authenticity is a key dimension of differentiation within black metal (Sgourev and Aadland, 2022), as manifested in the adoption of genre conventions in music or aesthetics. As we predicted in Hypothesis 3, we found that the use of color depends on the degree to which bands pursue purity by reproducing black metal conventions.…”

“…The indicator Formed pre-1994 (value of 1, 0 otherwise) designates bands active in the underground scene (before 1994). These bands are generally perceived as representing the genre’s transgressive values and as more authentic or credible than the bands formed after 1994 (Moynihan and Søderlind, 1998; Sgourev and Aadland, 2022). We expect that higher underground authenticity is likely associated with a proclivity for contrast and darker colors.…”

“…The color black became the defining expression of an oppositional attitude (Rydehed, 2009) and epistemological negativity (Silk, 2013), giving rise to a pared-down, somber aesthetic that represents the rejection of normality as a principle of belonging (see Sgourev and Aadland, 2022). Black metal emerged in reaction to death metal’s insincere embrace of death, thereby reinforcing associations with the macabre.…”

“…As observed in an article about the band Emperor, “At least from the point of view of the majority of the Norwegian population, Black Metal is something to be feared in the same way as horror stories about football hooligans in the British press” ( Terrorizer Magazine , May 1997). The stigma abated in subsequent years with the abandonment of criminal activity and growing international record sales, bringing a degree of respectability and recognition (Sgourev and Aadland, 2022). As Mortiis, of Emperor, remarked, in the late 1990s black metal “was spreading across the world, lots of bands were popping up, it was too late to stop” ( Metal Hammer , July 20, 2017).…”