The research method that Dwight Conquergood used is that of ethnographic fieldwork, which is one of the early qualitative research methodologies, involving the combination of fieldwork and observation, which seeks to understand the cultural phenomena that reflect the knowledge and system of meanings guiding the life of a cultural group (Boundless.com). This type of research method, allowed the author to immerse himself in a long-term participation in the day to day life in Chicago’s Albany Park and the Latin Kings Nation that operated within Albany Park. He wanted to have the firsthand experience for himself, in so much that he chose to live in the so-called “Big Red” housing area, which as he described as the microcosm of the community. In …show more content…
Also, from my observation of the author’s interaction with the gang members, he acted in a way, that was out of respect, and in no way condemning of the gang members or their culture. He befriended them and truly showed great interest in their personal lives. He also knew that he couldn’t’ approach these gang members in a hostile manner, as he learned this from a gang member, who stated that “You can’t just walk into the neighborhood and act like a tough guy, you get beat up.” Moreover, I also observed that the author seemed mild mannered, and certainly did not come across as this know it all, arrogant researcher. I can only imagine how scary this entire experience may have been for him, but nonetheless, he allowed himself to “hang around” the gang members as they drove him around their dangerous neighborhood. In my opinion, the positive aspect of this research is that the author gained the trust of the gang members, while at the same time, the negative aspect of it, is that he had to witness the illegal activities which he (presumably) could or did not report. In know that researchers have certain ethical/responsibility to uphold, however, in this scenario, I would think that the author’s life would be in danger if he reports these illegal activities that he’s
Phillippe Burgois, the author of In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio, lived in East Harlem doing research for 3 years. His wife and child also lived with him during this time. Burgois was interested in studying the social and economic aspects of East Harlem, also known as El Barrio. His research required him to be closely involved with the crack dealers in the area. In my review, I will first, summarize the main points of the book.
In his article, “Black Men and Public Space,” Brent Staples writes about his encounters with people during his nighttime walks in and around the city streets of Chicago and New York. He argues that, as a result of crimes committed by criminals of African American descent, people tend to quickly avoid him because they assume that he will likely mug them because of the color of his skin. Nevertheless, on the subject as to whether this article is an appropriate and good example of the reaction of others, it is quite obvious that this is a good example of the reaction of others, given how Brent Staples spent much of his time working in the city as a journalist, and that crime rates are high in inner city areas. However, despite the fact that this
Dude Freeman, a 17 year old kid in the juvenile centre, talks about the drug dealing experience he encountered as being a ‘family-owned’ thing and described the ways in which people in the hood interacted. He said him and his brothers had a motto- “OFF”, meaning ‘only fuck with family. ’(Bergmann 2008, 108). This motto shaped Dude’s interactions, really emphasising the importance of sticking with family as at the end of the day, they’re the only ones you can trust to have you back and look out for you. This was something Dude later learnt after getting snitched in to the police by a group of so-called friends for something he wasn’t fully responsible for (Bergmann 2008, 9).
In discussing these areas of gang feuds, Riis quoted from a man in Chinatown, “trust not him who trusts no one” (78). Trust diminished completely between the different gangs over the years that Riis wrote this book. The lack of trust increased violence around the
How well Wes Moore describes the culture of the streets, and particularly disenfranchised adolescents that resort to violence, is extraordinary considering the unbiased perspective Moore gives. Amid Moore’s book one primary theme is street culture. Particularly Moore describes the street culture in two cities, which are Baltimore and the Bronx. In Baltimore city the climate and atmosphere, of high dropout rates, high unemployment and poor public infrastructure creates a perfect trifecta for gang violence to occur. Due to what was stated above, lower income adolescent residents in Baltimore are forced to resort to crime and drugs as a scapegoat of their missed opportunities.
“Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets” by Sudhir Venkatesh is a book that described the recollection of Venkatesh’s time with the Black Kings, a crack-dealing gang, in the Robert Taylor Homes. Venkatesh was a sociology student at the University of Chicago and began a project in which he conducted years of research in the urban poor of Chicago. He “ditched the questionnaire in favor of just spending time with his subjects…as he tried to learn about their lives on their terms, not his”. He wanted to discover how people, such as the crack-dealing gangs, tenant leaders, and cops in the projects buy, sell, and use drugs. Hierarchy and social structure was described in Venkatesh’s autobiography of what occurred in the Robert Taylor Homes.
In this essay I will discuss how Kelly presentes the negative effects of being in a gang through the use of a hierarchy in the sense of a very manipulative and controlling character compared to a very weak character who is pushed around and bullied into doing a lot of foolish things for either the group’s entertainment or benefit. Kelly presents the idea of being in a gang as a very negative and pessimistic one. We can see this in the quote “Richard, you’re scared of, are you?”. This is a rhetorical question said by John Tate highlighting a sense of control leadership for him. A repeated theme in this book is John Tate jockeying for power as he has an appetite for leadership.
In the world we live in today, people who have been sucked into the world of gangs and violence have become pariahs in society. The moving biography of Gregory Boyle, Tattoos on the Heart, captures the extent of gang violence though memoirs of numerous ex-gang and gang members. Boyle’s mission is to help these people with his endless compassion, fostering a sense of kinship, and helping them find self-love, ultimately forming a community unlike any other. The entire book revolves around compassion. When asked what compassion is, one of Father Greg’s students replied, “Compassion ...IS...
They were just cruising. But then in the rear-view mirror, we saw them make a U-turn, and we knew they were going to flash us to stop. They had spotted us in passing, as negroes and they knew that negroes had no business in the area at that hour. It was a close situation. There was a lot of robbery going on; we weren’t the only gang working, we knew, not by any means.
Block and Niederhoffer theorized that joining a gang was part of the male adolescents’ need to grow up into adulthood, so the gang provided the substitute for formalized puberty rights found in other societies (Bartolls & Miller, 2017). Cloward and Ohlin used the notion that lower-class boys interact with and gain support from other alienated individuals and they pursue illegitimate means to achieve the success that they cannot obtain through legitimate means. Cohen believed that gang delinquency represented the subcultural solution to the problems that the lower-class boys have when they are compared to middle-class values and the schools and Miller held that there is a definite lower-class culture and gang behavior is an expression of that culture (Bartollas and Miller pg. 284, 2017). Yablonsky believed that violent delinquent gangs arise out of certain conditions which are usually found in the urban slums and that encourages the development of sociopaths who later become leaders of the gangs.
How well does Moore describe the culture of the streets, where young boys grow up believing that violence transforms them into men? Talk about the street culture—its violence, drug dealing, disdain for education. What creates that ethos and why do so many young men find it attractive? Moore describes the culture of the street in a very detailed manner.
During his time studying these boys, he found that most cases of conflict were resolved without the use of weapon(s), but rather with “harsh conversation”. This observation highly contradicts the typical view of gang members who are commonly stereotyped by their local community and justice system in Oakland. Rios describes how the boys “Conversations often involved references to guns as analogies for resolving conflict and demonstrating manhood”. The fact that most conflicts are dealt with in non-violent ways, highlights the negative role
Victor Rios, author of Punished: Policing the Lives of Black and Latino Youths grew up in Oakland, California. During his childhood there he had an experience that made him return to Oakland to question and study the current issues that the youth’s their face. At the age of 14 he had joined a gang, he did this mostly for protection from other gangs and threats in the area, and during his time in the gang he met another kid named “smiley,” nicknamed because of his knack to smile during every situation, good or bad. Rios would become good friends with him, and even steal a car for him to use as a home at one point when he was kicked out of his own home. Although this would eventually lead to one of his first encounters with bad police officers, as he was severely beaten for what he had done.
Harlem Walter Dean Myers/ Christopher Myers Fiction; Grade 2 Setting; Tone/Style Summary In this poem, the author Walter Dean Myers reminisces about the city he considers home and elaborates on the features of African American Culture that made it so wonderful. As the author describes the art, music, and sheer personality that existed in this city teeming with ambition, he uses powerful imagery to portray the “Yellow, tan, brown, black, red/ Green, gray, bright/ Colors loud enough to be heard/ Light on asphalt streets/ Sun yellow shirts on burnt umber/ Bodies/ Demanding to be heard/ Seen.” Activities My Community: Students will represent elements of their community through some form of artwork (sculpture, poem, drawing, collage, etc.).
As the saying goes, “Everyone is different,” from the way we think, to the way we act. Between the semi-rough pages of the book In The Heat of The Night by John Ball lies the process of punishing a criminal. The criminal who killed Wells’ very own Maestro Enrico Mantoli who was supposed to lead the city to fame, popularity, and money. However, nothing is harder in capturing the culprit than investigating the case. In a city suffering from a huge wave of racial issues, two opposing teams working on one case is not a very good idea.