Reykjavik

AARHUSUNIVERSITY

YOUTH DRINKING AND SOCIAL CLASS

TORSTEN KOLIND: CENTRE FOR ALCOHOL AND DRUG RESEARCH

AARHUSUNIVERSITY

FOCUS: AN UNDERSTANDING OF DANISH YOUTH’S DIFFERENT DRINKING PRACTISES

› Relating drinking and partying to other areas of the lives of the young› Analytical focus on cultural capital and counter-culture

TORSTEN KOLIND 2010

AARHUSUNIVERSITY

THE DRINKING CULTURE OF DANISH YOUTH IS SPECIAL

› They start early, often before or during 9th grade› They drink a lot› Intoxication is often the explicit aim

TORSTEN KOLIND 2010

AARHUSUNIVERSITY

CURRENT RESEARCH HAVE NEGLECTED A FOCUS ON SOCIAL CLASS

› Only little focus on structural constraints. Instead focus on individual risk and intoxication strategies

› ‘New culture of intoxication’ characterised by ‘bounded consumption’ – is only a valid characteristic of some young

TORSTEN KOLIND 2010

AARHUSUNIVERSITY

SOCIAL CLASS

› Cultural capital (Bourdieu): accumulation of education and knowledge, tastes, preferences, ’sense’. But also the practice of creating distinct social identities

› Anthropological perspective: inductively outline and compare the characteristics of different groups cultural capital

TORSTEN KOLIND 2010

AARHUSUNIVERSITY

METHOD

› Three 9th grade classes in a minor provincial school in Jutland (Denmark)

› 5 month of fieldwork during 1 school year: 2005-2006 › 38 qualitative focus group interviews with pupils (24) and parents (14)

TORSTEN KOLIND 2010

AARHUSUNIVERSITY

ANALYSIS – THREE AREAS OF COMPARISON

Mainstream youngsters and mainstream breakers (analytical groups)

A) Rule setting

B) School

C) Drinking and partying

TORSTEN KOLIND 2010

AARHUSUNIVERSITY

A: RULESFOCUS IS ON THE COMMUNICATION OF RULES

Mainstream – concerted communication

› Reflect extensively on rules: seeing rules from own, parents’ and societal perspective

› Meta-communicate: rules are open-ended guidelines, young are co-producers, they interpret unspoken elements of rules

Mainstream breakers - the accomplishment of natural growth

› Operating with directives rather than persuading children with reasoning

› Defined, non-negotiable› Not an area for minute reflection

› CASE: parent-agreementTORSTEN KOLIND 2010

AARHUSUNIVERSITY

B: SCHOOL & TIMEHAVING ENOUGH OR TO LITTLE CULTURAL CAPITAL

Mainstream

› School important for further education and for doing well in life

› School important for nurturing social relations

› Competent in the school culture; had enough cultural capital: school culture reflect mainstream values

Time› responsible for planning and

filling up time with meaningful activity and creating self-identity

Mainstream breakers

› School not important in life and for the future

› Not central in keeping up social relations

› Incompetent in school culture; lacked cultural capital

Time› Fatalistic. Not planning. Time not

to same extend something to be invested in developing self-identity TORSTEN KOLIND 2010

AARHUSUNIVERSITY

C: DRINKING & PARTYING AND RISKPATTERNS CONTINUE ALONG THE LINES OUTLINED ABOVE

Mainstream

› Construct and perceive themselves as normal:› Those who drink too little› Those who drink too much/the

wrong way

› Risk perception: › Develop own harm reducing

practices› Bounded consumption / controlled

loss of control /› Part of a self-reflexive project

Mainstream breakers

› Create counter culture by rejecting mainstream values› Fighting› Defending oneself› Extreme drinking

› Risk perception:› Unbounded risk taking› Risk do not contribute to the

narrative of the self but to counter culture

TORSTEN KOLIND 2010

AARHUSUNIVERSITY

CONCLUSION 1)PARTYING AND DRINKING MUST BE UNDERSTOOD IN RELATION TO A BROADER CONTEXT OF THE ADOLESCENCE’S LIFE

Drinking & Partying

School

rules

TORSTEN KOLIND 2010

AARHUSUNIVERSITY

CONCLUSION 2)CULTURAL CAPITAL

+ Cultural capital (mainstream youth)

› Controlled loss of control

› Self-reflection

› Planning

› Feeling normal

› Recognize societal health ideals

› Master school culture

› Co-produce family rules

- Cultural capital (mainstream breakers)

› Unbounded consumption

› Counter culture

› Fatalistic, ad hoc / repetition

› Feeling different

› Societal health ideals irrelevant

› Slight mastering of school culture

› Rules are non-negotiableTORSTEN KOLIND 2010