A discourse analytic study on how the term ‘chav’ is constructed in the United Kingdom.
dc.contributor.advisor
Widdicombe, Sue
en
dc.contributor.author
Fielding, Emma
en
dc.date.accessioned
2014-03-20T16:21:39Z
dc.date.available
2014-03-20T16:21:39Z
dc.date.issued
2012
dc.description.abstract
The present study looked to investigate how the term ‘chav’ is constructed as a youth subculture through content and discourse analysis. The use of the term ‘chav’ has increased in recent years, with the media focusing on associating deviant behaviour with chavs. Previous studies have investigated the construction of the term through researcher generated data such as interviews. The present study used naturally occurring data on the internet in order to investigate the construction of the chav identity, making use of video clips with the keyword ‘chav’ taken from the social media website, ‘YouTube’. The clips were then coded into five categories of stereotypes, deviance, violence, media and celebrity chavs, and the content was analysed for subthemes, before transcribing suitable clips for discourse analysis. The analyses found references to clothing, consumption habits and acts of deviant or criminal behaviour as features constructing the chav identity, among others. Furthermore, the analysis found a general unwillingness to accept the label of ‘chav’, and the identity was often rejected. Overall, similarities were found between discourse on chavs and on previous deviant youth subcultures, with references to deviant behaviour and distinctive fashion. Furthermore, negative attitudes towards chavs were presented as factual, further constructing a derogatory identity.
en
dc.identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/1842/8524
dc.language.iso
en
dc.publisher
The University of Edinburgh
en
dc.subject
psychology
en
dc.subject
social psychology
en
dc.subject
chavs
en
dc.subject
youth subculture
en
dc.subject
discourse analysis
en
dc.title
A discourse analytic study on how the term ‘chav’ is constructed in the United Kingdom.
en
dc.type
Thesis or Dissertation
en
dc.type.qualificationlevel
Undergraduate
en
dc.type.qualificationname
Undergraduate
en
dcterms.accessRights
Restricted Access
en
Files
This item appears in the following Collection(s)