Abstract
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 semi-structured interviews with male and female breakers. The article focuses on the 11 male breakers, as the objective is to analyze how young male breakers construct their masculinities - how 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.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes on contributor
Tonje F. Langnes is an Associate Professor at OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University. Her main interests are youth culture, gender, minorities and dance.