The Formation of a Deviant Category: The Case of Customized High-end Supercars
Over the past several decades, numerous studies have examined the formation of various categories. However, most of this research assumes that newly emerging categories are socially aligned and therefore gain legitimacy. The role of deviant identity in category formation has received little attentio...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Japanese |
| Published: |
The Academic Association for Organizational Science
2025-08-01
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| Series: | AAOS Transactions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/aaostrans/13/4/13_2025-007/_pdf/-char/ja |
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| Summary: | Over the past several decades, numerous studies have examined the formation of various categories. However, most of this research assumes that newly emerging categories are socially aligned and therefore gain legitimacy. The role of deviant identity in category formation has received little attention. This study explores how a deviant identity can be transformed into a socially legitimate category and lead to the creation of a novel market, through an empirical analysis of high-end supercars customized in the style of 1970s Japanese streetcar gangs—an expression of anti-social culture. We employed a mixed-method approach, combining the Grounded Theory Approach with consumer surveys. Our interview and survey results reveal, first, that deviant identities contribute to category formation by intensifying rebellious reactions against societal criticism. These reactions unite multiple actors—cars, owners, and builders—into a cohesive community. Second, we find that internal cohesion among actors is critical for empowering such resistance and sustaining the category. Contrary to prior research suggesting that deviance must be mitigated, eliminated, or concealed to gain legitimacy, this study demonstrates that deviance can serve as a generative force in category emergence. This finding contributes to category research by revealing an alternative mechanism for how new categories can emerge. |
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| ISSN: | 2758-2795 |