The return of the prodigal B-boy: from marginalised subculture to protected Korean cultural institution

Abstract

When the forces of globalisation brought B-boying (or breakdancing) to Korea, the traditionally conservative mainstream society looked askance at the practice. The government, concerned with building a strong national culture, set restrictive policies to protect Korean society from what it saw as a disruptive foreign influence. Nevertheless, a marginalised Korean B-boy subculture developed; rejected locally, Korean crews began competing globally. When they swept major international competitions, B-boying exploded in Korea and the government began to support and deploy it as iconic of Korea's youthful and dynamic art world. Thus, B-boying in Korea has undergone two major cycles of globalisation and Korean government intervention since the 1980s. In this paper, we trace how a marginalised subculture came to be institutionalised as a point of national pride by the government and the role that glocalisation has played in this dramatic reversal of the fortunes of the B-boys in Korea.