What ‘Hipsters’ talk about when they talk about hipsters : an ethnography of hipsterdom in Singapore.

Abstract

An ethnography of hipsterdom in Singapore, this thesis applies Glick’s (2010) Theory of Hipster Relativity in studying the sub/counterculture through lay narratives of the contentious ‘other’, or “cultural intermediaries” (Bourdieu 1979; Hesmondhalgh 2006: 226) who apply the ‘hipster’ label in their daily discourses. With hipsterdom’s roots in North America, local ‘hipsters’ reflect Massey’s (1998) portrayal of youth cultures, as “hybrid cultures… [which] involve active importation, adoption and adaptation” (p. 122-123). Thus, this thesis examines firstly, the extent to which said importation, and re-appropriation of the occidental sub/counterculture has incarnated in Singapore. Secondly, this study adopts a symbolic interactionist framework in exploring the local ‘hipster’s’ lived experiences, and his/her strategizing towards social dominance through consumption preferences and taste.