Citation

Mahiri J, Conner E. J. Soc. Iss. 2003; 59(1): 121-140.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2003, Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1540-4560.00008

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This research elicited and assessed the perspectives on violence of 41 middle-school students attending a unique school in a low-income section of a large northern California city. Through participation in and observation of instruction and other school-related activities, the researchers explored ways that these students experienced and reflected on violence in their lives and in popular culture. The researchers probed ways that these students' interpreted or reflected upon rap music and hip-hop culture, particularly its representations of violence, crime, and sex. This research provided insights into what these youth thought about violence in their lives including its depictions in electronic media. Additionally, it revealed ways that they resisted and/or critiqued some negative images and influences of hip-hop and rap.