Ricerca di elementi di subcultura in un gruppo di motociclisti italiani mediante analisi etnografica

In this article a group of Italian motorcyclists is analyzed using the conceptual and methodological tools of the contemporary theories on consumption and the idea of subculture of consumption. The ethnographic analysis, carried out through document analysis, observation and in depth interviews, shows the emotional connection of the subjects with the goods they own, and the role of consumption in the processes of creation of meanings and of construction of their identity. The motorcycle holds values that are shared by other members of the group, and create sense of unity. The subculture concept shows to be an effective tool to study a small group of nostalgic consumers present today in the Italian society, and therefore might be used in the analysis of other emergent phenomena of aggregation that develop both in person and through the Internet