Socialization into consumer culture: hunters learning to be men

Abstract

This ethnography examines the primary socialization of masculinity within the hunting subculture. Young men are mentored by family and friends through the use of shared stories, rituals, and core values for up to two decades. Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory is used to explain this maturation process. The authors explore this consumer socialization process as youths move across the stages of pre-hunter, neophyte, and apprentice, until they finally become competent hunters. While this youthful practice of masculinity tends to rely on traditional notions of masculinity, during this competency stage, the men negotiate diverse constructions of masculinity within consumer culture.