Paper short abstract:

Drawing on ethnographic encounters with hip hop dancers I examine ways in which hip hops borders and boundaries are policed by its practitioners. My argument is that practitioners invoke particular notions of authenticity in order to appeal to their peer's sense of legitimacy and originalism.

Paper long abstract:

Drawing on ethnographic encounters with hip hop dancers I examine the varied ways in which hip hops borders and boundaries are policed by its practitioners. As a complex, dynamic and diverse social field, hip hop is governed, not by any one institution or office, but by its practitioners - people who across the world are engaged in its various practices within their own local context. I argue that by invoking particular notions of authenticity, hip hop dancers are able to police its borders by appealing to their peer's sense of legitimacy and originalism. This presentation shares the voices of Krumpers in Perth, Rockers in New York and Bboys in Osaka to illustrate how individuals, across different places, are able to re-imagine notions of authenticity and determine for themselves what is, and what is not, a part of hip hop culture. This paper reflects on these notions and considers how anthropology can be useful in tracing the way this shifts and moves on the ground.