The quest for controlled decontrol Masculinity projects and emotion regulation in arranged group fighting

In the early to mid-2010s, the Netherlands witnessed the emergence of a novel form of group violence known as ‘bosvechten,’ Dutch for ‘forest fighting.’ This practice gained public attention through the dissemination of online videos, depicting groups of male combatants engaging in unarmed physical confrontations within remote forest settings. Initially associated with ‘football hooliganism,’ where participants engaged in more or less spontaneous confrontations in and around football grounds, these forest fighting groups transitioned toward well-organised bare-knuckle fights, deliberately and secretly conducted outside the general public’s eye. Over a four-year period, I interacted with more than thirty participants, engaging in informal (group) discussions, conducting (video-elicitation) interviews with ‘top boys,’ and employing diverse qualitative research methods to observe the development of this international fighting scene. This book delves into this specific scene and the practice I term ‘arranged fighting,’ providing detailed descriptions of the groups, their motivations, and, most importantly, their modus operandi: how participants socially organise and construct violence from start to finish. As my interactions with the fighters extended, it became increasingly evident that their involvement in arranged fights stemmed from a reflexive identity project aimed at self-actualisation and the (re)examination of masculine expectations within society at large. What becomes apparent is that these men have cultivated a unique form of masculinity. By means of self-development projects, aligned with the behavioural expectations of the social figuration, they emphasise ‘balanced’ violence, which entails training in body techniques and self-control. Their ‘quest’ is directed towards moments that signify their masculine selves—a state of ‘controlled decontrolling’—enabling them to experience intense emotional sensations, whilst simultaneously deploying accountable self-control. From this ground, I offer a thorough portrayal of how arranged group violence unfolds, is provoked, and managed within interaction, demonstrating in turn how combatants can maintain their social sensitivity in situations conventionally perceived as ‘uncontrollable.’