ABSTRACT

This chapter examines how conceptions of gang culture have changed since the beginning of gang research. It argues that contemporary ideas street culture, which can also be applied to street gangs, substantially enhance some of the earliest and most influential ideas about gang culture. Street gangs are intimately connected to the physical locations they inhabit, as socioeconomic conditions of neighborhoods produce an environment ideal for the creation and proliferation of gangs. The reliance on norms and values as primary cultural mechanisms remains relatively common among contemporary gang scholars. Although some researchers use these terms by default without critically examining them, others use them more intentionally by arguing gangs embrace unique norms and values that influence behavior. “Gang member” is also a role that individuals can selectively perform in a way that is similar to code-switching. The notion of “gang member” is created through cultural expectations and clarified within specific groups.