This senior thesis seeks to explore the linguistic genre of graffiti by analyzing graffiti in Durham and on
Duke’s campus free speech site. It seeks to provide a brief analysis of the history and criminalization of
graffiti, including an examination of the materials and practices associated with the medium. This
research affirms that graffiti crews are meaningfully different from gangs, and argues that crews
function as unique kinship networks and forms of chosen family, enabling the intergenerational
transmission of artistic knowledge. Additionally, through sustained visual documentation of Duke’s
Free Expression Bridge, the study examines how undergraduates on elite campuses use physical spaces
and graffiti as sociopolitical platforms for creative expression
