Gangs and society : alternative perspectives / edited by Louis Kontos, David Brotherton, and Luis Barrios.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Kontos, Louis.

Brotherton, David.

Barrios, Luis, 1952-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gangs--United States.

Gangs.

United States.

Physical Description:

xvi, 352 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Columbia University Press, [2003]

Summary:

Gangs mirror their communities--but is the community a concrete space, for instance a neighborhood, or is it a collective identity? This volume addresses these questions from an eclectic range of positions.The product of a landmark conference on gangs, the book brings together the work of academics, activists, and community leaders to examines gang organizations. Analyzing the spread of gangs from New York to Texas to the West Coast, the book covers such topics as the spirituality of gangs, women in gangs, the relationship between gangs and education and gangs and federally funded programs for at-risk youth. Included is a photographic essay by Donna DeCesare, an award-winning journalist.

Contents:

Part 1 Theory and Methodology 1

1 A Note on Social Theory and the American Street Gang / Sudhir Venkatesh 3

2 Toward a Typology of Contemporary Mexican American Youth Gangs / Avelardo Valdez 12

3 The Negligible Role of Gangs in Drug Distribution in New York City in the 1990s / Ric Curtis 41

4 Marginal Youth, Personal Identity, and the Contemporary Gang: Reconstructing the Social World? / Kevin Mcdonald 62

Part 2 Gangs and Politics 75

5 Gangs and the Contemporary Urban Struggle: An Unappreciated Aspect of Gangs / Albert DiChiara, Russell Chabot 77

6 Urban Street Activists: Gang and Community Efforts to Bring Peace and Justice to Los Angeles Neighborhoods / Juan Francisco Esteva Martinez 95

Part 3 Gangs, Agency, and At-Risk Youth 117

7 The Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation and the Spirituality of Resistance: Agency, Social Cohesion, and Liberating Rituals in the Making of a Street Organization / Luis Barrios 119

8 Education in the Reform of Street Organizations in New York City / David Brotherton 136

Part 4 Women and Gangs 159

9 Liberating Yet Limiting: The Paradox of Female Gang Membership / Dana Nurge 161

10 Amor de Reina! The Pushes and Pulls of Group Membership among the Latin Queens / David Brotherton, Camila Salazar-Atias 183

Part 5 Gangs and Social Control 211

11 Gangs and the Law / Loren Siegel 213

12 The Gang Crackdown in the Prisons of Massachusetts: Arbitrary and Harsh Treatment Can Only Make Matters Worse / Phillip Kassel 228

Part 6 Gangs and Photography 253

13 On the Subject of Gang Photography / Richard Rodriguez 255

14 From Civil War to Gang War: The Tragedy of Edgar Bolanos / Donna DeCesare 283

15 Snapshots of a Movement: The New York Latin Kings and Queens 1996-99 / Steve Hart, David Brotherton 314.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0231121407

0231121415

OCLC:

50725200