Street habitus: gangs, territorialism and social change in Glasgow

The relationship between youth ‘gangs’ and territory – understood as a monopolistic control over geographical space, exercised for economic gain – is a longstanding focus of gang scholarship, and remains central to criminological definitions of youth ‘gangs’ to this day. In this article, I re-assess this relationship in the context of an ethnographic study of youth ‘gangs’ and territorial space in Glasgow. Employing Bourdieu's concept of habitus in a spatial context, I argue that territorialism and gang behaviour should be understood as distinct – if linked – phenomenon, connected with the lived experiences of limited spatial autonomy in the post-industrial city. This analytical separation enables ‘gang’ behaviour to be understood beyond the traditional criminological gaze, incorporating sociological theories of space, class and identity.