Dancing on the edge: An empirical study of legitimacy mobilization within the Stockholm underground club scene

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of structural dynamics in subcultural scenes. More specifically we have, by conducting a qualitative interview-based study, sought to understand how different actors within a scene mobilize legitimacy to not only ensure their internal perpetuation, but also growth and prosperity for the overall scene. To this end, legitimacy is an important moral resource, which also represents one of the integral resources in the social movement branch of Resource Mobilization Theory (RMT). Traditionally, RMT has been used to understand mobilization in a social phenomenon that is similar to scenes: social movements. Nevertheless, in this thesis we argue that, like other scholars in recent years, the similarities between scenes and social movements, such as the importance of shared values, norms, styles, and beliefs for such a social group, allow for the application of a more structural approach, such as RMT, toward understanding the emergence, growth, and perpetuation of scenes. To address this research gap, we have applied RMT, with a specific focus on the resource of legitimacy, along with the conceptualization of legitimacy from organizational theory, to a scene in Stockholm: The Stockholm membership-based electronic dance music scene (SMEDMS). Through this combinatory approach, we have been able to shed light on how and to what extent actors within this scene work to mobilize legitimacy in relationships with their audiences. In relation to the mobilization of legitimacy in this scene, we have found several interesting themes. For example, the mobilization of different types of legitimacy within the scene is, in many cases, based on the shared values, norms, and beliefs of the audiences, many of which are the result of a socialization process by the club organizers in the scene.