ABSTRACT
Skinhead gangs perpetrating racial violence have emerged in Finland. Various explanations have been advanced for the attraction of these gangs and activities for young people including the role of masculinity, childhood experiences and economic marginalisation. This chapter considers these explanations in the context of a study of skinheads and police reports about them in the region of Joensuu where skinhead gangs have been noticeable. A range of explanations have been put forward for the motivations for participation in skinhead gangs. These can be divided into societal-centred perspectives and individual-centred perspectives. Societal-centred explanations have focused upon changing social structure. Economic crisis of various kinds is often invoked in the societal-centred perspective. More individual-centred explanations can be found in the psychoanalytical investigation of how these youngsters came to get involved in the skinhead sub-culture. Part of skinhead culture is to develop masculine identity through bodybuilding.
