The (Trans) gang: notes and queries on youth street group research

Abstract

This text presents the key concepts of the TRANSGANG project in the form of answers to seven research questions: what, when, who, why, where, how and what for. We start by defining the conceptual triangle configured by the title: Transnational Gangs as agents of Mediation (What). The central chapters give the historical context: Neoliberal States (When); the central study subjects: Gangs (Who); the proactive approach: Mediation (Why); the border spaces to be researched in the three regions: the Americas, North Africa and Southern Europe (Where); and the methodological perspective adopted (How). The final concluding chapter explores the expected impact of the research, from resistance to resilience through empowerment (What For). The text includes a complete list of related literature ordered by topics and regions, and a specific Glossary.

Gangs, Methodology and Ethical Protocols: Ethnographic Challenges in Researching Youth Street Groups

“…The use of the word hermanito (brother) by Latino groups shows the dimension of fraternity in the organization, whose main objective is not to commit crimes, but to offer solidarity by sharing their difficult daily life in terms of protection, identity construction and feelings of affection (Brotherton and Barrios 2004;Nilan and Feixa 2006;Feixa et al 2008). As it is evidenced in previous research, gangs are diverse in ethnic composition, criminal (or not) activities, age of members, propensity towards violence and stable organization (Feixa et al 2008;Feixa et al 2019). Gangs experience changes due to direct factors and indirect factors, such as demographic shifts, economic conditions or the influence of the media, and their reactions vary according to community understanding, representation and policies; effective responses are diverse too: prevention, intervention and suppression or enforcement.…”

“…Based on the evidence established from ethnographic research in diasporic situations, as in the case of the Latin Kings in Barcelona (Nilan and Feixa 2006), the definition focused on group remarks the identitarian capacity of the crowd and describes it as street-oriented youth groups, with names, symbols and long-time traditions, composed by youths from deprived social backgrounds. Some of their members have connections with illegal activities, even if these activities are not part of the core group identity (Feixa et al 2019). Adding the society-network context and the potential role of gang members as mediators to the Thrasher's classic definition, we propose to use the generic term "youth street group" to refer to any gathering of young people, according to the definition of youth that exists in each context, who recognize themselves as a group and who use the public space, physical or virtual, to meet and find ways to be respected.…”

Gangs and social media: A systematic literature review and an identification of future challenges, risks and recommendations

“…As is evident, a gang is typically treated as an analytical frame for group status, where the focus is on collective behaviour and group engagement, and the personal experience tends to be forgotten. Yet, as this approach often results in the criminalization of the entire youth street group, future research could usefully integrate personal experience and individual behaviour and, in this way, seek to differentiate between the classic gangs engaged in criminal activities although not solely made up of young people -such as the maras in El Salvador; youth subcultures centred on leisure and economic activities -such as the vatos locos on the Mexican-US border; and a variety of hybrid groups that combine both strategiessuch as the bandas latinas in Spain (Feixa et al, 2019).…”

“…Social media allow gang members to communicate publicly and privately, to perform online as a group or as an individual, to link the physical and the virtual realms and to create transnational connections and identities (Feixa et al, 2019;Fernández-Planells et al, 2020) that shape both time and space. Future research that can encompass these transnational, intergenerational, intergeneric and transmedia approaches is the challenge that awaits scholars interested in social media practices of 21st-century gangs.…”

Generación blockchain: movimientos juveniles en la era de la web semántica

“…El presente texto es de naturaleza teórica, aunque se basa en varios proyectos de investigación en los que he participado durante la última década. En los dos primeros he sido investigador principal: el proyecto GENIND (2013-2016) se planteó como objetivo analizar los movimientos juveniles surgidos en 2011 en tres regiones donde se vivieron con particular intensidad -el sur de Europa, el norte de África y América Latina-, desde una perspectiva comparativa (Feixa & Nofre, 2013;; el proyecto Transgang (2018-2022) tiene por objeto estudiar los grupos juveniles de calle como agentes de mediación, en las mismas regiones, desarrollando para ello una metodología transnacional (Feixa et al, 2019;Feixa & Andrade, 2020). En los otros dos proyectos he sido asesor, participando en la discusión de los resultados: el proyecto ACTIFEM (2018-2019) se centró en las nuevas formas de activismo juvenil femenino en la vida cotidiana, en grupos feministas y no feministas, surgidos a raíz de las masivas movilizaciones del 9 de marzo en los últimos años (Pires & Feixa, en prensa); el proyecto YOUGECA (2019-2020) es una investigación en curso sobre el activismo juvenil por el clima y el movimiento Fridays for Future (Feixa, 2020).…”