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Street Corner Society: The Social Structure of an Italian Slum

by William Foote Whyte

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2431109,465 (3.86)14
Street Corner Society is one of a handful of works that can justifiably be called classics of sociological research. William Foote Whyte's account of the Italian American slum he called "Cornerville"--Boston's North End--has been the model for urban ethnography for fifty years. By mapping the intricate social worlds of street gangs and "corner boys," Whyte was among the first to demonstrate that a poor community need not be socially disorganized. His writing set a standard for vivid portrayals of real people in real situations. And his frank discussion of his methodology--participant observation--has served as an essential casebook in field research for generations of students and scholars. This fiftieth anniversary edition includes a new preface and revisions to the methodological appendix. In a new section on the book's legacy, Whyte responds to recent challenges to the validity, interpretation, and uses of his data. "The Whyte Impact on the Underdog," the moving statement by a gang leader who became the author's first research assistant, is preserved. "Street Corner Society broke new ground and set a standard for field research in American cities that remains a source of intellectual challenge."--Robert Washington, Reviews in Anthropology… (more)
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» See also 14 mentions

Former NYPD chief John F. Timoney has chosen to discuss William Foote Whyte's Street Corner Society on FiveBooks as one of the top five on his subject - Policing, saying that: 

“…To the average person corner boys are up to no good, but one corner boy, Doc, takes the author under his wing for a year and a half. Whyte learns that things are not as simple as they appear on the corner. The group is much more complex than you’d expect, with rules and regulations, leaders and deputy leaders, and due deference. Whyte tries to ingratiate himself with his new crowd by cursing and using the F word – this is, if you will, a Harvard boy’s perception of how one might fit in on the corner. However, Doc chastises him for doing so and indicates that more is expected of a Harvard boy…” 



The full interview is available here: http://fivebooks.com/interviews/john-timoney ( )
  FiveBooks | Apr 7, 2010 |
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Street Corner Society is one of a handful of works that can justifiably be called classics of sociological research. William Foote Whyte's account of the Italian American slum he called "Cornerville"--Boston's North End--has been the model for urban ethnography for fifty years. By mapping the intricate social worlds of street gangs and "corner boys," Whyte was among the first to demonstrate that a poor community need not be socially disorganized. His writing set a standard for vivid portrayals of real people in real situations. And his frank discussion of his methodology--participant observation--has served as an essential casebook in field research for generations of students and scholars. This fiftieth anniversary edition includes a new preface and revisions to the methodological appendix. In a new section on the book's legacy, Whyte responds to recent challenges to the validity, interpretation, and uses of his data. "The Whyte Impact on the Underdog," the moving statement by a gang leader who became the author's first research assistant, is preserved. "Street Corner Society broke new ground and set a standard for field research in American cities that remains a source of intellectual challenge."--Robert Washington, Reviews in Anthropology

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