Beyond “Subculture” in the Ethnography of Illicit Drug Use

Abstract

“Subculture” has been an important conceptual and methodological tool in the ethnographic study of drug use and drug-related harm, particularly heavy drug use among marginalized populations. When researching those whose drug use is less all-consuming, however, this concept does not serve us so well. What term or terms might provide a better framework for the investigation of more intermittent drug use? I explore this question through attention to material gathered during three years of ethnographic research with drug users in Perth, Western Australia. I characterize my units of analysis as social “scenes” oriented around sets of practices. These scenes are located on urban “pathways.” Drug ethnographers need to reorient themselves, no longer seeking to describe and analyze normative subcultural values, beliefs and behaviors but rather focusing on the diverse nature of some drug scenes and their constitutive practices. It may be time to retire “subculture” in the study of certain contexts of drug use.

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