David Thore Gravesen

The Inner City Skater Facility—Playground or Control Mechanism? On Urban Youth, Civic Learning and Pedagogical Dilemmas

This article is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted on a skater facility in a medium-sized Danish town. From a cultural perspective, the analysis illustrates how different youth groupings use the facility and how they interpret and negotiate its functionalities. The article discusses the official intentions with offering the skater facility to the public, and depicts pedagogical dilemmas related to this ‘gift’. SSP-workers (SSP: a special Social Services, School and Police unit) mingling at the site seek to ensure a specific behaviour based on civilized virtues. In the concluding remarks, the article discusses these as expressions of bio-political strategies, while emphasizing both everyday practises and societal objectives as important elements in the analysis.