Anarchists, Punks and Vegans - oh my! Ethnography of an anti-capitalist Community of Dissent

Abstract

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.