Conflicting cultures – a street-ethnographic take on urban youth, unstructured socialization and territoriality

This article is about conflicting cultures among urban youth in a medium-sized Danish town called Lomby. At the central squares in Lomby different groups of children and young people gather around the newly established skater facility. Concentrating on a specific group of young boys, the pseudo-gang called the Thugz, the article illustrates how conflictual behaviour is a key component in the everyday lives of the various confronting groups present at the site. The analysis also depicts the Thugz’ attitudes towards authorities like the SSP (a special Social Services, School and Police unit) and the police and in the summarizing part of the article, also the groups’ reflections on school.