Jesus and the gang : youth violence and Christianity in urban Honduras / Jon Wolseth.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wolseth, Jon, 1975-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Youth and violence--Honduras--Case studies.

Youth and violence.

Gangs--Honduras--Case studies.

Gangs.

Youth--Religious life--Honduras--Case studies.

Youth.

Church and social problems--Honduras--Case studies.

Church and social problems.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (174 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Tucson : University of Arizona Press, c2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

In urban Honduras, gun violence and assault form the pulsing backdrop of everyday life. This book examines the ways that young men and women in working-class neighborhoods of El Progreso, Honduras, understand and respond to gang and gun violence in their communities. Because residents rely on gangs and Catholic and Evangelical Protestant churches to mediate violence in their neighborhoods, these institutions form the fabric of society. While only a small fraction of youths in a neighborhood are active members of a gang, most young men must learn the styles, ways of communicating, and local geography of gangs in order to survive. Due to the absence of gang prevention programs sponsored by the government or outside non-governmental organizations, Catholic and Pentecostal churches have developed their own ways to confront gang violence in their communities. Youths who participate in church organizations do so not only to alter and improve their communities but also to gain emotional and institutional support. Offering firsthand accounts of these youths and how they make use of religious discourse, narrative practices, or the inscription of tattooed images and words on the body to navigate dangerous social settings, "Jesus and the Gang" is an unflinching look at how these young men turn away from perpetuating the cycle of violence and how Christianity serves a society where belonging is surviving. This book will appeal to readers with an interest in Latin American studies, urban anthropology, and youth studies. With its focus on the lives of young men and women, it's also a compelling read for anyone interested in the plight of urban youth trying to escape the gang life.

Contents:

Youth and the politics of violence in Honduras : the murder of El Títere

Contesting neighborhood space in Colonia Belén

Thick as blood : street ties, gang tattoos, and graffiti

The making of community and the work of faith

Finding sanctuary : youth violence and Pentecostalism

Conclusion : taking on violence.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-299-19140-1

0-8165-0124-6

OCLC:

747413912