‘The Black Sheep of the Family’: Bogans, borders and New Zealand society

Bogan is a uniquely Australasian term, which is used in New Zealand to describe working-class heavy metal and hard rock fans. As a community, they have developed from New Zealand’s colonial history, as they share many common features of this country’s national identity. Such features include an appreciation of hard work, an enjoyment of a perceived underdog status and a love of beer. However, they are kept at ‘arm’s length’ by non-Bogans due to their alternative appearance and love of heavy metal music. As such they can be defined as occupying a space on the fringes of mainstream society – referred to here as a border community. However, due to their origins they can also be celebrated by non-Bogans and used in the media for a variety of purposes due to easily recognizable imagery. This auto-ethnographic article is an exploratory one, which seeks to introduce the complexities of exclusion and inclusion through the experiences of 25 Bogan participants, highlighting the need for music-based research to further consider the complexities of everyday life.