NCJ Number
178376
Journal
Journal of Gang Research Volume: 6 Issue: 3 Dated: Spring 1999 Pages: 9-21
Date Published
1999
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the history and characteristics of skinhead gangs and develops the theory of skinhead gangs as a manifestation of the warrior culture of the new urban tribes.
Abstract
Skinheads take their name from their military basic- training-style haircuts. They view themselves as the divinely chosen protectors of their race and nation. They believe they will be called on to defend both the white race and the nation in a race war that they believe is forthcoming. Among the urban street gangs that compose the new urban tribes, the skinheads are the most vocal in their adoption of the warrior culture. Skinheads believe the white man built America and that the Jews and minorities are undermining and corrupting what whites have built. The warrior culture in the United States and to a lesser extent in Great Britain has been changed by political and social events into a pseudo-paramilitary type culture that many of the white youth participate in through games, movies, books, etc. Given the many social, cultural, and economic changes that have impacted American male youths' development of self-esteem through gender, economic, and social roles, many youth who have failed to develop a satisfactory identity within the context of these changes have opted to become part of a warrior culture. They fantasize about the powers and features of a paramilitary warrior who fights to preserve what he perceives to be the status, achievements, and dominance of his tribe. After reviewing the history of skinheads from the British Union of Fascists (1923-39) through the American skinheads from the late 1970's to the present, this article discusses skinhead music; religion; totemism, graffiti, and tattoos; skinhead crimes; and the transmission of skinhead culture (communications). A 22-item bibliography