ABSTRACT
The absence of an ontological reality of the gang haunts research on gangs in both the gang-ridden areas of the world, but also outside of the realms of so-called intergang environments. This chapter will document the mythmaking practices of gang members in the Netherlands. Based on an ethnographic study of the Dutch Rollin 200 Crips, three gang-related themes prominent in US gang research will be adressed: the notion of territoriality, the role of violence, and gang disengagement. These three topics provide powerful examples of the ways American gang stereotypes and myths are (re)constructed and (re)produced in the Dutch context. Both individually and collectively, these mythmaking acts illustrate the performance of “gang-ness”.
