Public Perception of Street Clowns: The Formation of Social Norms and Stigma Around Street Artwork in Urban Public Spaces

Abstract

This study analyzes how street clowns (badut jalanan) are normatively constructed within urban public spaces in Samarinda, Indonesia. Rather than treating public perception as homogeneous, the research conceptualizes stigma as a socially stratified and power-laden process shaped by competing urban norms. Drawing on social construction theory, stigma theory, social norm theory, and Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic capital, the study examines how six social positions—street clowns, road users, Generation Z, women, government authorities, and academics—produce divergent interpretations of informal cultural labor. Using a qualitative design combining participant observation, in-depth interviews, and document analysis, the findings show that street clowning is conditionally tolerated but rarely legitimized. While performers frame their work as creative labor and economic survival, authorities and road users often associate it with disorder and informality. These conflicting norms reflect broader tensions between regulation, morality, creativity, and urban modernity. The study contributes to urban sociology by advancing a relational understanding of stigma and norm production in secondary cities of the Global South.