In the context of the

skinhead A skinhead or skin is a member of a subculture that originated among working-class youth in London, England, in the 1960s. It soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working-class skinhead movement emerging worldwide i ...

subculture A subculture is a group of people within a culture, cultural society that differentiates itself from the values of the conservative, standard or dominant culture to which it belongs, often maintaining some of its founding principles. Subcultures ...

, a redskin is a

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

skinhead, who often also subscribes to

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

views. The term combines the word ''red'', (a slang term for

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

) with the word ''skin'', which is short for skinhead. Redskins take a

militant The English word ''militant'' is both an adjective and a noun, and it is generally used to mean vigorously active, combative and/or aggressive, especially in support of a cause, as in "militant reformers". It comes from the 15th century Lat ...

anti-fascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...

and pro-

working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

stance. The most well-known organization associated with redskins is Red and Anarchist Skinheads (RASH). Other groups that have had redskin members include

Anti-Fascist Action Anti-Fascist Action (AFA) was a militant anti-fascist organisation, founded in the UK in 1985 by a wide range of anti-racist and anti-fascist organisations. It was active in fighting far-right organisations, particularly the National Front a ...

, Red Action and

Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice (SHARP) are anti-racist skinheads who oppose white power skinheads, neo-fascists and other political racists, particularly if they identify themselves as skinheads. SHARPs claim to reclaim the original multicul ...

(although SHARP does not have an official ideology). Bands associated with redskins include: The Redskins, Angelic Upstarts, Blaggers I.T.A., Kortatu, Skalariak, Banda Bassotti, The Burial, Negu Gorriak, Opció K-95, Los Fastidios, Kaos Urbano, Brigada Flores Magón, Núcleo Terco, Permanent Revolution, Pakhism Movement faction and

The Press ''The Press'' () is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand, owned by media business Stuff (company), Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday t ...

. One record label associated with the subculture is

Insurgence Records Insurgence Records is a Canadian-based independent record label founded in 2000. The street music label specializes in rock music subgenres associated with the skinhead subculture, including Oi!, street punk and hardcore. Insurgence Records r ...

History

In the late 1970s and '80s, the skinhead subculture underwent a revival in western Europe. The origins of the skinhead subculture were largely apolitical, with working class youths in 1960's London who were influenced by similar working-class subcultures, like the mods and the Jamaican rude boys. In later decades, a new generation of skinheads came out of the punk subculture, emerging with a distinct style of music and dress. At this time, the skinhead subculture was made up overwhelmingly of working-class white men, and with the emergence of far-right political parties, such as the French Front National and the British National Front, around the same time, many skinheads adopted far-right and

white supremacist White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine ...

views. In the coming decades, these

white power skinhead White power skinheads, also known as racist skinheads and neo-Nazi skinheads, are members of a neo-Nazi, music of white skin head white supremacist and antisemitic offshoot of the skinhead subculture. Many of them are affiliated with white natio ...

s became widely known for racial hate crimes, to the point where popular media began to associate the entire skinhead subculture with racial violence. In response to this, skinheads who held radical left-wing views, as well as skinheads who were members of minority groups who were being targeted by white supremacists, began forming organized opposition to white power skinheads, and the bands and political parties they supported. One such group was the Red Warriors, a youth gang of far-left skinheads who would physically confront white power skinheads in the streets, which often ended in violence. The Red Warriors often acted as security for punk shows and left-wing activist groups, such as

SCALP The scalp is the area of the head where head hair grows. It is made up of skin, layers of connective and fibrous tissues, and the membrane of the skull. Anatomically, the scalp is part of the epicranium, a collection of structures covering th ...

and SOS Racisme, who were often targeted with violence by white power skinheads. Over time, the Red Warriors, and other youth gangs with similar goals, became well known in France for their confrontational and violent methods for resisting fascists. These "skinhead hunters" would later influence similar groups of far-left skinheads and anti-fascist groups, in France and around the world.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Redskin (Subculture) Skinhead Social class subcultures Anti-fascism Marxism Anarchism