Urban dynamics and youth identities in skateboarding: an ethnography at the Orla do Guaíba skatepark

Abstract

This research focused on urban skateboarding youth, a dynamic and multifaceted field that reflects the diversity of experiences, cultural practices and forms of socialisation. Recognising the plurality inherent in the concept of youth, this study adopted an ethnographic approach to investigate the social and cultural dynamics that emerge at the skate rink on the Orla do Guaíba in Porto Alegre. Methodologically, the study was guided by an ethnographic approach, focussing on the aforementioned skate park. Some of the research findings point to the understanding that the skate park on the Orla do Guaíba is a plural space, where the different types of skateboarding, such as street, bowl and snake, are differently appropriated by the practitioners. The coexistence of two groups, the "old school" and the "new skaters", shows that although they share a common skater identity, there are marked distinctions in terms of their clothing, musical tastes and ages. While the old guard learn and teach through observation and coexistence, with an implicit and collective pedagogy, the presence of coaches and the formalisation of teaching for the new skaters reflect a significant change in socialisation and learning practices. These transformations, although strange to the older skaters, point to the coexistence of different ways of understanding and living the practice of skateboarding. This space is more than just a place to practice sports, it is a stage where different generations and identities meet, clash and coexist, reflecting the transformations and permanence of skateboarding culture.