Although ethnographies dealing with anti-capitalist activism, veganism or the punk scene are far ... more Although ethnographies dealing with anti-capitalist activism, veganism or the punk scene are far from uncommon, until recently the temptation has been to view these groups as separate and distinct, rather than diffuse and overlapping. Using data gathered during interviews and participant observation in some parts of urban New Zealand, this study offers a sketch of the boundaries of the Community embodied by that overlap. Participants' own definitions for key terms such as anarchism, punk and capitalism/consumerism are presented and scrutinised in order to provide a starting point for this analysis. A lineage of thought is juxtaposed with each of these terms, with the intention of contesting some of the popular stereotypes surrounding them. The Community's own sense of difference is then explored through the responses of participants, which are analysed and some commonalities suggested. The most critical of these is the perception amongst participants of a greater engagement with their choices than they generally considered to be the case within the mainstream. Finally, some internal divisions within the Community are noted and a model for the radicalisation and mediation of dissent is suggested to explain this.
Proceedings of the 1st Shanghai International Conference of Social Sciences, Aug 19, 2011
On October 15th 2007 seventeen "Maori sovereignty,1 environmental and peace [activists]" (Laugese... more On October 15th 2007 seventeen "Maori sovereignty,1 environmental and peace [activists]" (Laugesen 2007) were arrested in one of the largest police operations in New Zealand history. For the first time since the Terrorism Suppression Act was passed in 2002 warrants were executed to search for evidence relating to potential breaches of the Act. Police attempts to charge twelve of the accused under the act were denied, and many of the related firearms charges were dismissed for lack of evidence. Police then relayed these charges under a new indictment, participation in a criminal gang. Despite this all but four of the accused have since been discharged without conviction. During the immediate aftermath of these raids I undertook an ethnography of one of the communities most affected, New Zealand’s anti-capitalist community of dissent (Foote 2009). Although the raids themselves were not the focus of this research, all of my co-participants know at least one of the accused and all of them were affected in some way by the raids. By reflecting on the ethnographic data gathered during my fieldwork this paper will more fully address the impacts of these events on the subject community.
Although ethnographies dealing with anti-capitalist activism, veganism or the punk scene are far ... more Although ethnographies dealing with anti-capitalist activism, veganism or the punk scene are far from uncommon, until recently the temptation has been to view these groups as separate and distinct, rather than diffuse and overlapping. Using data gathered during interviews and participant observation in some parts of urban New Zealand, this study offers a sketch of the boundaries of the Community embodied by that overlap. Participants' own definitions for key terms such as anarchism, punk and capitalism/consumerism are presented and scrutinised in order to provide a starting point for this analysis. A lineage of thought is juxtaposed with each of these terms, with the intention of contesting some of the popular stereotypes surrounding them. The Community's own sense of difference is then explored through the responses of participants, which are analysed and some commonalities suggested. The most critical of these is the perception amongst participants of a greater engagement with their choices than they generally considered to be the case within the mainstream. Finally, some internal divisions within the Community are noted and a model for the radicalisation and mediation of dissent is suggested to explain this.
Proceedings of the 1st Shanghai International Conference of Social Sciences, Aug 19, 2011
On October 15th 2007 seventeen "Maori sovereignty,1 environmental and peace [activists]" (Laugese... more On October 15th 2007 seventeen "Maori sovereignty,1 environmental and peace [activists]" (Laugesen 2007) were arrested in one of the largest police operations in New Zealand history. For the first time since the Terrorism Suppression Act was passed in 2002 warrants were executed to search for evidence relating to potential breaches of the Act. Police attempts to charge twelve of the accused under the act were denied, and many of the related firearms charges were dismissed for lack of evidence. Police then relayed these charges under a new indictment, participation in a criminal gang. Despite this all but four of the accused have since been discharged without conviction. During the immediate aftermath of these raids I undertook an ethnography of one of the communities most affected, New Zealand’s anti-capitalist community of dissent (Foote 2009). Although the raids themselves were not the focus of this research, all of my co-participants know at least one of the accused and all of them were affected in some way by the raids. By reflecting on the ethnographic data gathered during my fieldwork this paper will more fully address the impacts of these events on the subject community.
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Papers by David Foote