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Chan, R.S.K. 2017. Ah Beng subculture and the anti-capital of social exclusion. UKM Ethnic Studies Paper Series No. 54, August. Bangi: Institute of Ethnic Studies. ISBN: 978-967-0741-39-0<\/p>\n
Abstract: <\/b>This study explains the existence of the Ah Beng subculture in Malaysia from the lens of sub-cultural capital (Hebdige 1979; Bourdieu 1984; Thornton 1996). It raises the questions of whether subculture is inherently linked to the working class; if the position of being socially excluded by mainstream society necessitates the formation of a countercultural identity; and whether this identity is fashioned out of reciprocity between in-group and out-group members. I argue for a notion of \u2018anti-capital\u2019 to explain the social exclusion faced by members of the Ah Beng subculture. Using a comparative method, I compare the findings of my study on Ah Beng subculture (Chan and Edo, 2015; Chan 2012) to the dominant literature on subculture across the world, denoting similarities and differences in cultural capital. My findings suggest that the cultural capital, or as I argue, \u2018anti-capital\u2019 possessed by the Ah Bengs do not conform to the demands of global habitus, which prioritises rationality and competitiveness. Instead, the Ah Beng subculture continues to be cited as a means of differentiating individuals who possess global habitus from those who do not.<\/p>\n
Keywords: <\/b>Ah Beng subculture, cultural capital, anti-capital, subculture, Malaysian Chinese identity<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"