Where Did “Bogan” Come From?

This is where things get wonderfully murky.

The popular theories include:

  • the Bogan River/Bogan Shire in western New South Wales;
  • an old Australian literary reference;
  • regional Australian slang;
  • and the possibility that it originated as Melbourne teenage slang.

The evidence currently points most strongly toward Melbourne in the early 1980s, although the ultimate etymology remains uncertain.

Historian and linguist Bruce Moore found evidence from 1984, in a student magazine at Melbourne’s Xavier College, describing a fictional “bogan doll”. The character already possessed many of the stereotypes we would recognise today: tattoos, long hair, heavy-metal clothing, sleeveless denim, etc. The word then appears in a 1985 issue of Tracks magazine.

By the late 1980s it was spreading nationally. By the early 1990s, it was essentially established Australian slang.

The really funny part

The word may have been popularised by upper-middle-class private-school teenagers describing people they considered uncultured.

In other words: The bogan may have been invented by people who weren’t bogans.

Cop A Gander At These Rippers Too...

  • The Japanese Connection To Bogans

    There isn’t, as far as I can find, a major established academic field called “Japanese bogan studies.” But there are several fascinating connections. Japan has its own rough equivalent Japanese observers might reach for concepts such as: They aren’t exact equivalents. That’s important. A Japanese yankii is shaped by a very different historical culture, particularly postwar youth rebellion and delinquent subcultures. A bogan is much more strongly tied to: class + taste + Australian identity + suburban culture. But there is enough overlap to make comparison fascinating. A recent discussion among Japanese and Australia-interested Reddit users produced exactly this question: What is the Japanese equivalent of an Australian bogan? Suggestions…

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    豪キャブラリ：flannie

    In Strine, a flannie is a shirt made out of a wool-like material called flannelette. The flannie, sometimes also called a flanno, is an iconic item of clothing in Australia, often viewed as part of the bogan uniform. ストライン（オージー英語）では、「flannie」とは、フランネルというウールのような素材で作られたシャツのことを指します。「flannie」は「flanno」とも呼ばれることがあり、オーストラリアを代表する衣類の一つであり、しばしば「bogan」の定番スタイルの一部と見なされています。 The flannel can also be used to refer to a wash cloth. Flannelは、雑巾の意味もある。

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    豪キャブラリー：Yobbo

    Yobboは、厳密に言えばオージー英語のみではなく、イギリス英語でも使われている言葉けれでも、オージー英語独特な使い方があるから豪キャブラリーに当てはめれると考えRooが判定した。 　オージー英語のyobboは品が悪くて教養のない男の人を示す軽蔑用語でありながら、反社会的な行動がよくyobbish, yobbo-likeと言われているので特定な人に使わない限りどこでも使える言葉。 　Yobboは死語になりつつある。今のオーストラリアではboganが主流となっている。今が似ているけど、女性にも当てはまる上にbogan独特な文化が出来上がっているので、豪社会ではboganがバカにされながら完全に市民権を得ている。 　ちなみに、イギリス英語のyobboは同上の意味がある上に暴力行為を振る人に対して使う。オージー英語のyobboは必ず暴力を振るという感覚がない。 　Yobboの由来はboyを逆にしてyobとなり、それを伸ばしたような感じだ。

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    Why Did Australians Fall in Love with Niseko?

    なぜオーストラリア人はニセコに魅了されたのか？ For many Australians today, Niseko is synonymous with powder snow, winter holidays and a taste of Japan. Yet few realise that Australians played a significant role in introducing this once-quiet corner of Hokkaido to the wider world. The story of Australians and Niseko is not simply about skiing. It is a story of curiosity, cultural exchange and the growing friendship between Australia and Japan. 今日、多くのオーストラリア人にとってニセコは、極上のパウダースノーと冬の休暇を象徴する場所です。しかし、この北海道の静かな地域を世界に知らしめる上で、オーストラリア人が重要な役割を果たしたことはあまり知られていません。 オーストラリア人とニセコの物語は、単なるスキーの話ではありません。好奇心、文化交流、そして日豪の友情の深まりを物語るストーリーです。 A Mountain Hidden in Plain Sight Long before Niseko became an international ski destination, it was primarily known to Japanese skiers. Blessed with abundant snowfall thanks to weather systems crossing the Sea of Japan, the region offered conditions unlike almost anywhere else on…

  • The Dark Side Of The Bogan

    It would be a mistake to romanticise the phenomenon completely. “Bogan” can be profoundly classist. It can function as a respectable-sounding way of insulting: And stereotypes associated with bogan culture can also include: But these aren’t inherent characteristics of every person labelled bogan. That’s precisely why the term is so slippery. One academic analysis calls “bogan” a “sticky sign” because it can simultaneously attract contempt, affection, identification and disidentification.