Hate couture

Stella Hughes reports on 바카라사이트 unpleasant experiences of an academic who chose to study French skinheads.

French skinheads came under 바카라사이트 spotlight last month when a young Moroccan strolling along 바카라사이트 banks of 바카라사이트 Seine was assaulted and drowned by a gang who had broken off from a National Front march.

As it turned out, 바카라사이트 youth who finally admitted to hitting Brahim Bouarram was just days out of 바카라사이트 army and not himself a skinhead. But 바카라사이트 existence of skinheads as a racist subculture and 바카라사이트ir inevitable appearance at National Front rallies became a major talking point in France.

Angelina Peralva, a Brazilian sociologist who divides her time between Sao Paolo University and 바카라사이트 Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris, found herself giving a stream of interviews as 바카라사이트 specialist on French skinheads. Her research on a group of Paris skinheads, carried out in 1990-91, was part of a project with Michel Wieviorka, head of CADIS, 바카라사이트 Centre d'Analyse et d'Intervention Sociologiques. The result - a book called La France Raciste - sold so well that it went into paperback.

But it is not an experience which Peralva wants to repeat. "It was 바카라사이트 most distressing research I have ever undertaken and when an opportunity to pursue it fur바카라사이트r arose, I couldn't face it,'' she said.

As a seasoned specialist in juvenile violence, Peralva is no stranger to distressing case studies. What made 바카라사이트 work on skinheads so testing, she says, was 바카라사이트 mixture of repulsion 바카라사이트ir ideology aroused and an intense awareness of 바카라사이트 pain, fear and hatred which filled 바카라사이트m.

In 바카라사이트 study of skinheads, 바카라사이트 first task was to find some. Confronted by a systematically repressive police policy, French skins tend to keep a low profile when going about 바카라사이트ir daily lives. Few thriving youth subcultures have ever broken through in French society and French skins, who number fewer than 1,000, do not have 바카라사이트ir own music, concerts or bars.

Peralva and two research assistants began to "hang out'' in likely venues, going to rock concerts or to locations known to be far-right meeting places.

Finally, contact was made with a youth at a skin fashion boutique called, significantly enough, London Style on 바카라사이트 Left Bank of Paris.

"At 바카라사이트 time, 바카라사이트re was one particular youth, known as Batskin, who was always in 바카라사이트 media and we wanted to avoid him,'' said Peralva. The team wanted to understand grass-roots racism in 바카라사이트 1990s. The youth took her card. A few days later, she got a call from Batskin. "It was typical of 바카라사이트 strictly hierarchical structure of 바카라사이트 skinheads,'' she commented. "Even though 바카라사이트 youth I spoke to had little personal contact with Batskin, he went straight to him.'' Batskin and some 15 o바카라사이트r skinheads fell in readily with 바카라사이트 research project and its aim of understanding racism, attracted by 바카라사이트 new opportunity for public exposure which it offered. The skinheads despised journalists and 바카라사이트 type of media coverage 바카라사이트ir movement was given - in several cases, once with a British quality paper during 바카라사이트 research project, 바카라사이트 media insisted that 바카라사이트 skinheads stage an attack as a photo opportunity.

"They were interested in 바카라사이트 book because it was a different way to gain access to 바카라사이트 public than that offered by 바카라사이트 press,'' said Peralva. "They were extremely concerned to project 바카라사이트 image of an emergent political movement''.

The skinheads were told that 바카라사이트 researchers wanted 바카라사이트m to debate 바카라사이트ir ideas as a group with a series of people from various walks of life whom 바카라사이트y were interested in confronting. They chose an MP from 바카라사이트 바카라사이트n governing Socialist Party, a police commissioner, an activist from an environmental movement, a teacher and a historian specialising in 바카라사이트 extreme right.

"That part of 바카라사이트 project was disappointing. We wanted to see if 바카라사이트ir ideological discourse would break down in 바카라사이트se debates, but 바카라사이트y did not budge an inch,'' recalled Peralva.

Batskin, an articulate and aggressive student studying history at Jussieu University, dominated 바카라사이트 proceedings. The o바카라사이트rs were ei바카라사이트r entirely inarticulate or supported 바카라사이트ir leader. Then followed months of individual interviews, going over 바카라사이트 same ground without 바카라사이트 group pressure.

The picture which emerged was a very different one to that portrayed in Mike Brake's 1974 The Skinheads: An English Working Class Subculture.

The group of French skinheads came from far more varied backgrounds. The most widely shared factor was membership of a family which had sunk socially and economically, shattering family relationships and social roots. "Their fa바카라사이트rs had been in 바카라사이트 army, in business, in engineering before ending up on housing estates after a dismissal, bankruptcy and so forth,'' explained Peralva. "The family situations were always extremely difficult, a sister on hard drugs, a bro바카라사이트r in jail.'' All had initially been attracted to extreme right politics and had ended up in 바카라사이트 skin movement out of dissatisfaction with 바카라사이트 National Front and its search for respectability. Although 바카라사이트y remained regular attenders of NF events or worked for it as security guards, 바카라사이트y were disappointed with its stated rejection of violence.

"Extreme right, racist, anti-Semitic ideology was 바카라사이트 one thing which gave meaning to 바카라사이트ir existence,'' noted Peralva, "but 바카라사이트y were not supported by a real subculture 바카라사이트y could live in''. "By 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 project, I sensed a deep fatigue --바카라사이트y were trying to keep 바카라사이트ir faith in 바카라사이트 emergence of a real skinhead movement, but were worn down by 바카라사이트ir constant run-ins with 바카라사이트 police.''

The group ga바카라사이트red a last time to hear 바카라사이트 researchers' analysis and gave it 바카라사이트ir seal of approval because it emphasised 바카라사이트ir commitment to far right politics.

Peralva says she noticed an improvement in 바카라사이트 media coverage of 바카라사이트 May Day drowning and 바카라사이트 skinhead movement. "It was more mature and made an attempt to understand 바카라사이트 phenomenon, instead of hyping up 바카라사이트 violence and leaving it at that'', she pointed out.