The Interaction Order of Battle Rap as a Micro Aesthetic Public Sphere

• In Event: Sociology of Culture Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): 2. The Institutionalization of "Marginal" Music

Abstract

The relationship between arts communities and cross-cultural social solidarity is an understudied field. While standard approaches in urban sociological research often focus on gentrification processes through art communities, less has been said about the possibilities for interracial and interclass solidarities within grassroots arts communities, and specifically the mechanisms by which these communities engender solidarity. This paper takes up this task, combining symbolic interactionist and hermeneutic analysis on a NYC-based battle rap league – a counterintuitive case in which difference and conflict are mobilized into performative competitions.

Drawing on three years of ethnographic observations, 42 interviews with participants, and integrating a novel methodological practice that combines documentary filmmaking with sociological research, I uncover the interactional norms and symbolic meanings that transform performative conflict into solidaristic sentiments. I theoretically build upon what Ronald Jacobs (2012) has called “aesthetic publics”, showing how aesthetic communities on the micro level generate solidarities.

In particular, I demonstrate how authentic individuality as a moral value within battle rap and hip-hop communities facilitates mutual respect and recognition. Within the artistic practice, I show how battle rappers turn figurative violence into claims of authentic individuality. I demonstrate how respect for authentic individuality “shows up” interactionally and symbolically, and how the rap battle provides a ritual context that facilitates mutual recognition among even the most antagonistic battlers. Finally, I demonstrate how performances of authentic individuality are converted into collective representations of resilience that generate feelings of community solidarity.

Author

• Jessie Dong, Yale University