The meaning of German rap for young listeners in the context of their life stories

An intersectional perspective

Authors

  • Celia Wolter Rodríguez

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30820/0942-2285-2025-1-122

Keywords:

German rap, biographical narration, discourse, subject, intersectionality, cultural studies

Abstract

Although German rap is now established in the mainstream, what is currently the biggest youth culture, it continues to polarise. The ambivalent receptions reveal a social field of tension in which the protagonists operate. The question of the significance of German rap for young listeners refers to both the subjective appropriation in the context of life history and the discourses that influence it. Based on two narrative-biographical interviews, an approach to the complex multi-layeredness is sought by analysing the subject positionings, which is oriented towards Spies’ (2010) methodological adaptation of Hall’s concept of articulation. An intersectional perspective is used to reconstruct the positionings of the young people in the context of German rap, how these are related to others and to what extent intersectional discourses are negotiated in the process. This shows that identity and social position can be changed in the context of German rap, offering young people opportunities for transformation and valorisation.

Author Biography

Celia Wolter Rodríguez

Celia Wolter Rodríguez, M.Ed. (Sonderpädagogik), Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin an der Rheinland-Pfälzisch Technischen Universität Kaiserslautern Landau am Arbeitsbereich Sozialpädagogik. Schwerpunkte: Biografisches Erzählen, Cultural Studies, Mehrdimensionalität sozialer Ungleichheit.
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How to Cite

Wolter Rodríguez, Celia. 2025. “The Meaning of German Rap for Young Listeners in the Context of Their Life Stories: An Intersectional Perspective”. Journal für Psychologie 33 (1):122-43. https://doi.org/10.30820/0942-2285-2025-1-122.

Issue

Vol. 33 No. 1 (2025): Zur Psychologie des modernen Songs

Section

Artikel

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