Aerosol activists: Practices and motivations of Oakland's political graffiti writers

The word "graffiti" is often used to generalize several divergent street phenomena practiced by individuals with disparate aims. Hip-hop graffiti has played a controversial role in American society ever since it was created and developed by youth in Philadelphia and New York City in the 1970s. Local governments and property owners have often viewed the phenomenon with contempt and disdain, as it has cost city governments and private property owners millions of dollars annually. Several authors have addressed this polemical issue in the past, illuminating the structural organization and material culture of graffiti art and its practitioners.;In a break with this body of scholarship, the intent of this study is to unearth the motivations and intentions of a particular group of graffiti writers in Oakland, California, who use their artwork to convey deeper political and cultural messages. This dissertation is an ethnographic study of eight graffiti writers in Oakland who represent the cultural and ethnic diversity of the city in 2007. Through portraiture and analysis of interviews and images created by these participants, this dissertation investigates the complex relationship between colonization, war, poverty, history, urban planning policy, cultural resiliency, locality, activism, and graffiti art in East Oakland. I explore how this group of graffiti writers make meaning in their artwork with cultural, political, and social symbols that draw upon their heritage and multicultural milieu. I seek to illuminate the connections between their unique life experiences and their aerosol art practice.