ABSTRACT
France is undergoing some radical changes. Immigration, European union, loss of identifying symbols like currency, the hegemony of English, casualization and reskilling of the youth labour market, all contribute to the crisis of national identity. In this context, French skinheads are a minority subculture, but they constitute visible, active, well-structured groups attracting high levels of public concern. Skinhead youth culture is present in hybridized forms in almost every industrialized country in the world, each with locally-specifi c social, cultural and political features, and points of reference. At the same time, every skinhead group, even within a given country, is clearly distinct from other skinhead groups. Politically speaking they may occupy diametrically opposite positions – extreme-left or extreme-right – with group behaviours referenced to these positions. In France, skinhead youth culture presents as a variety of subgroups which span the political spectrum. Most often the political position concerns the question of racial identity and presence of immigrants in the country – for or against. At the same time, all manifestations of skinhead culture are characterized by the assumption of a radical attitude, and by acceptance of violence.
