Article: Chav: The emergence of a new identity

Chav': The emergence of a new Identity by James K. Walker

Chav is a UK based interpretation of what we'd call bogans/bevans/westies. Walker refers to two definitions for Chavs: 'at its most derogatory chav is believed to stand for 'Council Housed And Violent' and is synonymous with ignorance, poverty, violence' and 'at the other end of the spectrum the chav are mocked for their supposed lack of aesthetic and cultural sensibilities through caricatures. By this definition they are the Can't HAVe's.'

He describes the emerging subculture as being mediated - it's not an identity that is being formed by the Chav's themselves, which isn't to say that it's not an identity claimed by the participants. He talks about the way that the media, and various communities on the web, in the UK has taken to using the Chav as a label to define a particular style and lifestyle of some UK suburban/council housed communities. The media and internet has led the development of this subculture.

The article expands into an analysis of the emergence of this social identity and it's political place in the current UK climate of muliculturalism which is quite interesting as well.

One of the things I find fascinating is that this identity/term has come out of nowhere - when we were living in the UK, three years ago, it wasn't being bandied around and I worked with people who would have fit into the type. It's also really location based, like our westies/bogans and the american hillbillies - all aspects of poor western usually white subcultures (even where they appropriate 'black' subcultural property eg hip hop) but they're very different because of the areas they live in. Would be a fascinating subject to examine.

And to give a little more understanding of what a Chav, I'll link to The Streets (who I love - they did 'fit but you know it' and 'don't mug yourself'). The video for 'fit but you know it' is very suburban UK and is a great flash into the lifestyle. Posh and Becks are often cited as uber!celebrity Chav's and I'd have to say that Rose, Jackie and Mickey in the latest series of Doctor Who are pretty Chav. When you're watching where they live it's all in council housing estates on the outskirts of London.

Links:
ChavScum - a site where people can nominate other people as chav's
The Streets - band site with videos and samples etc.