Browsing by Author "Myyryläinen, Roope"

Objectives. The purpose of this master’s thesis was to find out what kind of effects being part of community has on being vegan. The community in which context veganism was studied was punk ja hardcore community where veganism is considered to be common lifestyle. This study aimed to find out in which way punk and hardcore communities relate to veganism and what is the significance of being vegan in order to be part of the community. Study also aimed to find out how does the community effect on being vegan. The theoretical framework of this study was constructed from the background factors and implementation of veganism and punk and hardcore subculture research. Methods. The study material was formed through a semi-structured thematic interviews. Eight vegans belonging to the punk and hardcore community (n=8) participated in the study. The interviewees were asked, among other things, how they experience community atmosphere regarding veganism, how the community affects their veganism and what they perceive community to be for those who aren’t vegans. The data was analyzed using theory-guiding content analysis. Results and conclusions. Veganism is viewed positively and is perceived as a significant part of punk and hardcore community and subculture. Veganism is not a determining factor in terms of belonging to the community, you can also belong to the community without being vegan. However, community encourages and slightly pressures towards a vegan lifestyle. The positive and helpful atmosphere of the punk and hardcore community has a positive effect on the initiation of veganism for the members of the community. The commonness of veganism in the community is perceived as an easing factor for the implementation of veganism. The community offers support, advice and encouragement in implementing a vegan lifestyle, which has been found to have a significant impact in terms of starting and continuing the vegan lifestyle.