Subcultural Group Style And Group Identity Of Motorcycle Riders In Shanghai

The subculture residing in motorcycle riders in Shanghai consists of one of the numerous subcultures in Shanghai.Since the subjects of this subculture are mostly born between 1980 s and 1990s(known as the post-80 s and post-90s),the subculture of motorcycle riders in Shanghai belongs to the youth subculture.As one of the members of the youth subcultures in Shanghai,the author tries to decipher and study this group through field participation and investigation.Based on the investigation,this thesis refers to the youth subculture theory of the Birmingham School,analyzes and describes the group's styles,features,its relationship with mainstream cultures,current situation,as well as the communication and identification within the group.This thesis defines the concept of youth subcultural group and explains its cultural features: the propensity of resistance,uniqueness and marginality,which serves as a basis for the illustration of the main elements of the subculture of Shanghai motorcycle riders,including its vehicles,subjects,forms,especially the expression of the “motorcyclist” style.This thesis features on the experience of resisting against the mainstream society and undergoing “destratification” within the youth group,as well as the essential characteristics of the group identification within the subculture of motorcycle riders based on the researches collected by the author during the field investigation.The thesis also refers to large amounts of motorcycle-related events in Shanghai to describe and analyze the interactive relationship between the subculture of Shanghai motorcycle riders and mainstream cultures,explaining how mainstream cultures try to incorporate the subcultural group of Shanghai motorcycle riders through regulations,ideology and commercial means,as well as the process and situation of this group's excorporation.This research starts from the study of the youth subculture of the Birmingham School,but the author also hopes to do some contributions for this theoretical system—the comb and analysis of the current situation and developing tendency of the youth subcultural group of Shanghai motorcycle riders,offering a unique perspective for studying the youth subculture in general,and the youth subculture in China in particular as well.