Geoffrey Hunt

• Professor (Full) at Aarhus University

While research on intoxication and violence has been prolific, including research on sexual violence, little of the existing work has examined sexual victimization among sexual and gender minorities (SGM), especially in drinking settings where violence and aggression may be commonplace. Using data from interviews with 200 SGM young adults in the Sa...

Although widely acknowledged as an important social determinant of health, until recently researchers and policymakers have primarily approached housing insecurity as an urban issue, obscuring the visibility of its impacts in rural contexts, including the ways in which housing insecurity intersects with other health and structural inequities facing...

This article is based on 28 in-depth interviews with young women (18–25) about their experiences with intoxicated sexual encounters in Danish nightlife. Little research has examined the role intoxication plays in the processes of consensual and non-consensual sex. Using theories of intoxication and sexual scripts, this article focuses on how alcoho...

Several studies worldwide have demonstrated that ethnic minorities are more likely to be stopped, questioned and searched by the police. In this paper, we explore how police officers themselves discuss and make sense of ethnic disparities in police stops. Based on interviews with 25 police officers in two police precincts in Denmark the paper illus...

Based on Goldsmith’s (2010, ‘Policing’s New Visibility’, British Journal of Criminology, 50: 914–34) assertion that police work has acquired a ‘new visibility’ with the ubiquity of cell phone cameras, recent studies have explored how ‘video activists’ often film the police as means of protecting marginalised ethno-racial communities. However, limit...

This article highlights the perspective of 39 young men who live and have friends in a Danish high-risk neighborhood. We look into their use of microlevel tactics to socialize with crime-involved friends while managing to abstain from crime. Maintaining this balance was a constant everyday processual negotiation of friendship relations, moral oblig...

Social research on alcohol and sexual encounters has tended to be siloed into several different research endeavors, each addressing separate aspects of wanted and unwanted sexual encounters. While sociologists have focused on the patterns of social interaction, status competition, and emotional hierarchies of sexual encounters, they have left the r...

Social concern about sexual practices and sexual consent among young adults has increased signifi�cantly in recent years, and intoxication has often played a key role in such debates. While many studies have long suggested that alcohol plays a role in facilitating (casual) sexual encounters, intoxication has largely either been conceptualized as a...

The controversy of tobacco harm reduction in the United States persists despite evidence that an important audience of tobacco prevention and control, i.e., the people who use or are likely to use nicotine and tobacco products, are engaging in practices that may be considered harm reduction. Despite this, a significant proportion of the US tobacco...

Recent years have seen trends within police to use different forms of “community policing” strategies that aim to foster closer relationships and trust with citizens, as well as an orientation toward “procedural justice” in law enforcement practices. Based on 25 interviews with police officers in two different police precincts in Denmark, this arti...

Young men living in socially deprived areas are more likely to be exposed to criminal activity and extraordinary policing measures. This article focuses on the narratives of police encounters told by ethnic minority young men living in a deprived neighbourhood in Denmark, defined by the Danish government as a ‘ghetto’. In total, 76 young men and 6...

We investigated associations between experiences with police discrimination, police mistrust, and substance use in a convenience sample of 237 sexual and gender minority (SGM) adults in California. In a cross‐sectional survey, collected between January 2016 and July 2017, participants reported substance use, lifetime experiences with SGM‐related po...

Research has highlighted the harmful effects of targeted police practices and the subsequent low trust in the police among ethnic minorities. However in spite of this research, there still exists a relative lack of knowledge on the day-to-day relations between ethnic minority youth and the police and on the perceptions that ethnic minorities have o...

In recent years, high profile cases involving the deadly use of force on men and boys of color have raised concerns about police interactions with people of color. In general, these highly publicized cases have consolidated the view that men of color are the primary targets. While this focus is important, it has led, nevertheless, to an overshadowi...

Background: In this paper, we explore how Danish youth legitimize and negotiate abstaining from drinking alcohol. While most literature on abstinence focuses either on abstainers or non-drinkers, we focus on young peoples' reasons for abstaining either for shorter or longer periods of time. Methods: The article draws on narrative data from in-de...

Background: Although young women's friendships remain understudied in drinking contexts, some researchers have pointed to how young women can make use of each other to manage sexual advances when drinking. In this paper, we explore how young women make use of friends to negotiate their sexual boundaries, and construct the meaning of sexual experie...

Background: The aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between youthful drinking practices and gender within the domestic pre-party (prior to a night out), an arena, which has been relatively ignored in existing qualitative research on youthful alcohol use. An examination of the relationships between gender and drinking practices in this...

While research on youthful drinking is extensive, the literature has been geographically skewed towards urban settings. As a potential corrective to this, our focus in this paper is on youthful drinking in rural Denmark. Based on 22 in-depth interviews with young drinkers, this paper explores the drinking practices of rural youth. More specifically...

Background: Illegal drug dealers no longer compete for customers only through the quality of their products, but also in convenience and speed of delivery. This article investigates "ring and bring" drug dealing, and argues that a focus on dealers' use of mobile phones is useful for exploring current changes within retail level drug markets. Method...

Most people who smoke cigarettes begin young. Consequently, public health efforts directed at youth are a priority. The increasing popularity of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) among youth in the United States has raised concerns in the public health community about the potential of ENDS to renormalize cigarette smoking and perpetuate n...

Introduction: Existing research on youth's adoption of alternative nicotine delivery systems (ANDS) has focused on identifying pathways of nicotine product use, specifically examining whether vaping encourages progression to smoking. Few studies have considered other pathways of initiation. Qualitative studies suggest that meanings of vaping vary...

This article is concerned with normative conceptions of health structuring tobacco control strategies designed to “denormalize” tobacco use. Analysis of 201 interviews with non-heterosexual and/or non-cisgender adults in California revealed that participants implicated tobacco use in exacerbating health inequities and perpetuating harmful narrative...

Introduction Existing research on youth’s adoption of alternative nicotine delivery systems (ANDS) has focused on identifying pathways of nicotine product use, specifically examining whether vaping encourages progression to smoking. Few studies have considered other pathways of initiation. Qualitative studies suggest that meanings of vaping vary si...

In this article we explore the gendered aspects of flirting as an integral part of a night out among young adults in Denmark, specifically a night out in mainstream bars and clubs. Empirically, we base our analysis on 140 qualitative interviews with regular alcohol users between 18 and 25 years of age. Drawing on Ahmed’s notion of orientation in co...

As different social groups are directly and indirectly confronted with diverse forms of police practices, different sectors of the population accumulate different experiences and respond differently to the police. This study focuses on the everyday experiences of the police among ethnic minority young people in the Nordic countries. The data for th...

Research on intoxicating substances and gender has developed considerably in the last 30 years, especially in the social sciences as feminist scholars highlighted the contradictory discourses about young women’s intoxication. Nevertheless, there still remain significant gaps if we are to fully understand the role and meaning of intoxication for all...

Aim This methodological article aims to describe the use of comparative social media platforms within a photo-elicitation (PE) activity as part of a multi-method interview-based study on the gendered meanings of alcohol intoxication among young adults (aged 18–25 years, n = 200). Method Early interviews revealed social media as a particularly enga...

Med udgangspunkt i 140 kvalitative dybdeinterviews belyser artiklen, hvordan alkoholrelaterede praksisser udspiller sig blandt unge i de danske landområder, samt hvorledes de unges alkoholbrug kan anskues i sammenhæng med forestillinger om køn og oplevelser af tilhørsforhold til lokalområdet. Således anskueliggøres det, hvordan ’sted’ og ’køn’, for...

Aims: We investigated how intersections of being a racial minority (i.e. being African American) and economically disadvantaged (i.e. housing insecurity) may influence experiences with discrimination and perceptions of smoking-related stigma among sexual and gender minority (SGM) current and former smokers. Methods: Survey data were collected from...

Background. The mainstream tobacco field in the United States tends to situate youth as passive, particularly in terms of their susceptibility to industry manipulation and peer pressure. However, failing to acknowledge youths' agency overlooks the important meanings youth ascribe to their tobacco use and how those meanings are shaped by the circums...

Research suggests that gender imbalances in police forces can significantly affect individuals’ experiences when interacting with police. Of importance, yet rarely examined, is the extent to which predominantly male police forces, in conjunction with adherence to gendered departmental policies, can simultaneously send signals of procedural justice...

Alcohol use, misuse, and intoxication have long been associated with men and masculinity. In different cultures and at different times, researchers have consistently found significant gender differences in drinking and intoxication prevalence rates. However, more recently gender differences appear to be diminishing. Nevertheless, while this may be...

Since the 1990s, social scientists have rejected notions of ethnicity as something static and discrete, instead highlighting the context-dependent and fluid nature of multiple identities. In spite of these developments, researchers within the substance use fields continue to assess ethnic group categories in ways that suggest little critical reflec...

Research suggests that Black youth are less likely to use e-cigarettes than their white counterparts, yet little is known as to why. We examined perceptions of e-cigarettes among Black young adults (ages 18–25) to explore the meanings these youth ascribe to e-cigarettes and the role that identity plays in how these devices are viewed. Analysis of i...

Current literature often depicts the street cultures of ethnic minority youth as forms of collective cultural resistance to experiences of marginalization from mainstream society. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and qualitative interviews in 2014 with 23 young men attached to a rehabilitation centre for criminal offenders in Denmark, this article f...

Recent media accounts have highlighted issues of use and abuse of police force and policing practices targeted at ethnic minorities within inner city areas. To date, little research has focussed specifically on the experiences and perceptions of youth gang members in dealing with police. Using data from 253 in-depth interviews with ethnic minority...

Tobacco denormalization is a widely accepted tobacco control strategy, shaping policies and programs throughout the United States as well as globally. In spite of widespread beliefs about the effectiveness of tobacco denormalization approaches, concerns about their emphasis on stigmatization have emerged. Social science research on smoking stigma r...

With contributions from leading international academics across the social sciences, The Sage Handbook of Drug and Alcohol Studies: Social Science Approaches takes a critical look at the key contemporary issues and debates in the field. The 39 chapters are divided into three parts: Part I: Central Social Science Theories in Drug and Alcohol Studies...

In this study we examine the ethnic identifications and self-labels discussed in open-ended interviews with 250 young Asian Americans involved in the youth culture of dance clubs. The ethnic category ‘Asian American’ has a shifting history with contested boundaries, as can be seen in the varied relationships with this label described by the partici...

Although the population-level success of tobacco denormalization is widely accepted, it remains unclear whether these strategies alleviate health inequities for sexual and gender minorities. The high risk of smoking among sexual and gender minorities together with research that documents a relationship between stigma-related processes and smoking p...

This chapter examines the terrains of culture in the context of illicit drug use and distribution. In tracing the connection between drugs and subcultures, a number of interesting themes have emerged. First, young people have been at the center of the subculture and drugs link. Second, while the origins of subculture can be located principally with...

We examine gender and meanings of risk in interviews (2007-2010) with gang-involved young men and women (n = 253) engaged in illicit drug sales in San Francisco, California. The in-depth interviews from this NIDA-funded study were coded using the software NVivo to identify patterns and themes. We examine their interpretations of the risks of drug-s...

The search for disconfirming evidence, or negative cases, is often considered a valuable strategy for assessing the credibility or validity of qualitative research claims. This article draws on a multimethod qualitative research project to illustrate how a search for disconfirming evidence evolved from a check on the validity of findings to a strat...

In recent years, there has been increasing concern about youthful "binge" drinking and intoxication. Yet the meaning of intoxication remains under-theorized. This paper examines intoxication in a young adult nightlife scene, using data from a 2005-2008 National Institute on Drug Abuse-funded project on Asian American youth and nightlife. Analyzing...

Background: During the 90 s and especially in the beginning of the 00 s research in youth, drug and alcohol consumption increased markedly in Denmark. Much of this research was applied and placed in a dilemma between reproducing existing social problem characterizations of youthful behaviors or providing genuine contribution to the sociological ana...

Researchers have become increasingly interested in the link between spirituality and the use and misuse of drugs as well as intervention. First, studies have pointed to spirituality and religious involvement as a protective factor against substance use. Second, the quest for spirituality can play a role in drug use. This article has two aims. First...

Addiction encourages the submission of high-quality qualitative research. This editorial sets out the journal’s position and provides a set of criteria to guide researchers when submitting or reviewing qualitative reports.

The aim of this article is to reflect on the conceptual and methodological developments of our gang research over the past 20 years. We have conducted a large number of consecutive qualitative studies on youth gangs, drugs and alcohol in one urban locale for over two decades and have amassed a data set of over 2000 qualitative interviews. We have k...

Based on 250 qualitative interviews with Asian American young men and women in the dance/club scenes in the San Francisco area, we examine the interplay between consumption, style and taste cultures with issues of ethnic identity, gender and acculturation. We explore the ways that consumption and taste markers (e.g. fashion, cars, music and drugs)...

Gang youth have been a perennial issue with criminologists for nearly a century. Much evidence suggests that something about participation within a gang leads youth to commit more crime when compared to non-gang youth. Gang youth are at an increased risk of arrest and incarceration for serious offences in comparison to other delinquent youth. Gang...

As obesity persists in the United States, many public health interventions have been conceived to encourage people to change their diets. These interventions are based on encouraging people to prioritize healthier alternatives in food choice. However a consideration of the existing but limited literature on food choice for diverse populations rende...

Qualitative research is often conceptualized as inherently small-scale research, while larger-scale projects are often assumed to be solely the domain of quantitative researchers, The aim of this paper is to discuss qualitative research done on a comparatively larger scale. In addition to the centrality of a qualitative perspective, the research in...

Sociologists and anthropologists have paid little attention to women's role in the pub. This article, based on fieldwork reseach, sets out to describe the use of two pubs by two different groups of women in an English village. Through these examples, we seek to illustrate not only the social class differences between the two groups of women but als...

Current approaches to drugs tend to be determined by medical and criminal visions that emerged over a century ago; the concepts of addiction, on the one hand, and drug control on the other, having imposed themselves as the unquestionable central notions surrounding drug issues and discourses. Pathologization and criminalization are the dominant per...

This article analyzes eating and beliefs about family meals in the qualitative interview narratives of 30 "at-risk" gang-involved young women in the San Francisco Bay Area. We begin our examination of consumption practices with a study of households and identify three major types-extended, single-parent and blended. Within these households, food pu...

This article analyzes the construction of ethnic identity in the narratives of 100 young Asian Americans in a dance club/rave scene. We examine how illicit drug use and other consuming practices shape their understanding of Asian American identities, finding three distinct patterns. The first presents a disjuncture between Asian American ethnicity...

This article examines the experiences of young women in street gangs who become mothers. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 65 young women in the San Francisco, CA, Bay Area, we examine their narratives about the transition to motherhood. In particular, we focus on the ways these young women negotiate femininities and attempt to reconcile their...

The aim of this paper is to examine the accomplishment of gender in the context of the youth cultural formation of dance raves. Drawing on a narrative analysis of in-depth interviews with 300 young women and men in a San Francisco rave scene, we examine the role that the drug ecstasy plays in the gender formations at these events. We present eviden...

Since the turn of the century, obesity has emerged in the public consciousness as an important public health concern. While the illnesses considered to be associated with obesity are pressing, related individual-level interventions may not be sufficient and may also stigmatize overweight and obese individuals as deficient. Weight-related stigma has...

Research on drug use among gay and bisexual men has primarily focused on examining the link between drug use— most notably, methamphetamine—sexual practices, and risk of HIV transmission. Drawing on in-depth qualitative data from 40 interviews with gay and bisexual Asian American men, we examine perceptions and meanings associated with cocaine use...

This article examines the relationship between substance use and gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and nativity among 250 Asian American youths involved in the dance club/rave scene. We find distinct patterns of drug use differing by country of origin and ethnicity. However, contrary to some literature we do not find significant differences correspondi...

Youth, Drugs, and Night Life examines the relationships between the electronic dance scene and drug use for young ravers and clubbers today. Based on over 300 interviews with ravers, DJ's and promoters, Hunt, Moloney, and Evans examine the different social groupings that make up the scene. The authors explore the accomplishment of gender, sexuality...

The public perceptions of clubs and drugs reveal the existence of two opposing discourses. One, an official discourse, characterizes dance events and taking drugs as spaces of excess risk, which need to be controlled and regulated. The other, as exemplified in accounts of the participants themselves, emphasizes the pleasures and importance of these...

This paper explores drinking by girl gang members. Sociologists and criminologists have tended to concentrate on both male gang members and their involvement in drug dealing. This pre-occupation has tended to overshadow not only the role of female gang members but also the importance of drinking within youth gangs. In spite of a growing interest in...

Combining mind-altering substances, whether illegal or legal, has provoked calls of alarm and concern among drug researchers for over thirty years. Since then numerous studies have been conducted to trace the different prevalent combinations and emphasize the serious consequences for individuals who use two or more drugs at any given time. Recently...

While an increase in research on criminal desistance has occurred in recent years, little research has been applied to the gang field. Using qualitative interview data, this article examines fatherhood as a potential turning point in the lives of 91 gang members in the San Francisco Bay Area. Fatherhood initiated important subjective and affective...

From the late 1990s onward, ketamine use among young persons in Hong Kong grew rapidly becoming the drug of choice. This article examines ketamine's attraction in Hong Kong, and in so doing uncover the cultural meaning of ketamine use. The analysis is organized around the emergence and shifts in meanings and experiences of those who initiate and co...

This article analyzes the relationship between substance use and ethnic identity in the narratives of 206 young Asian Americans in a dance club/rave scene. We examined the meaning of drug use and found three types of narratives invoked to explain their drug use. The first noted difficulties arising from their Asian American identities, the experien...

Although legal and illegal drugs have throughout history given pleasure to those who consume them, research in the drug field has ignored this central and fundamental feature. The absence of any discussion of pleasure is striking when one considers the contemporary literature on ecstasy and the dance scene. Pleasure is still missing within much of...

As has already been seen, the idea of “natural recovery” or “self-change” from addictions is a poorly understood and much contested concept. Some commentators in the field of alcohol and drug studies accept that this phenomenon exists, while others remain skeptical. Given the nature of this debate occurring within Anglo-European societies, it is no...

The purpose of this paper is to explore meanings of risk and pleasure around drugs among adolescents and young adults, and provide data that represent the users’ perspectives. Using in-depth qualitative data from a sample of 300 young dance event attendees in the San Francisco Bay Area, we will analyze their perceptions of ecstasy and other illicit...

The available research data on young Asian American drug use is relatively limited compared to the availability of research on other major ethnic groups. Today more published data have highlighted the extent to which drug use is significant and rising in Asian American communities. From our ongoing research on the social context of ecstasy and othe...

A growing body of research challenges the popular characterization that young mothers are bad mothers. This article focuses on a group of girls and young women who were pregnant or mothers and who were engaged in a risky lifestyle through their heavy involvement in gangs, partying, and drinking. The authors examine the impact of the process of moth...

While the association between drug sales and violence has been a central focus of gang research since the 1980s, the issue of drug use within gangs has been given much less attention. This is especially true in the case of marijuana. This lack of interest is surprising given the extent to which gang members use marijuana. Other than alcohol, mariju...

Family has a central role in youth socialisation, including substance use. Family is both the genesis of alcohol problems (through parental consumption or supportive attitude) and a solution, via family therapy. In contrast, family is not the primary unit of direct socialisation to drug use. Rather, attributes of family (such as structure, sentimen...

The youth dance club scene has emerged center stage as a global phenomenon. Despite this increasing globalization, our knowledge of the phenomenon is relatively restricted to single cultures and locales. Unfortunately, researchers may miss the extent to which similar processes are developing in a number of different locales. Instead of examining dr...