Masculinity in the Margins: Race, Gang Violence, and the Code of the Street

This study examines the intersection of race, class, and gang violence in Singapore, with a particular focus on the structural dynamics linking racial minorities, street gangs, and institutionalized Chinese secret societies—the archetype of organized crime in the city-state. By integrating race as both an ideology and a system of social relations into the study of gang formation, this research sheds light on why and how racial minorities become disproportionately involved in gang violence. The study revealed that beyond economic marginalization, racialized hierarchies embedded within gang contexts shape the motivations, participation, and mobility of minority individuals in both street gangs and the broader criminal underworld. Drawing on the concept of racialized masculinity, it is argued that racial minorities mobilize their gender and racial resources to compensate for status disparities resulting from structural exclusion in both legitimate and illegitimate spheres. In a postcolonial, multiracial society, like Singapore, where racial and class marginalization intersect, gang affiliation emerges as a means of negotiating power and social standing. The findings contribute to scholarship on race, crime, and social stratification while informing policies aimed at addressing racial inequalities and reducing gang violence.