Street Corner Society: The Social Structure of an Italian Slum
by William Foote Whyte
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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 show more 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. show lessTags
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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 show more indicates that more is expected of a Harvard boy…”
The full interview is available here: http://fivebooks.com/interviews/john-timoney show less
“…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 show more indicates that more is expected of a Harvard boy…”
The full interview is available here: http://fivebooks.com/interviews/john-timoney show less
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Author Information
18 Works 427 Members
William Foote Whyte has been a professor of sociology at Cornell University's New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations since 1948. His books include Men at Work, Organizing for Agricultural Development, and the classic Street Corner Society. Whyte was one of the first social scientists to study human relations in industry. He has show more called himself a "sociologist who uses anthropological field methods to try to figure out what is going on." show less
Awards and Honors
Classifications
- Genres
- Sociology, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 302.3 — Society, government, & culture Social sciences, sociology & anthropology Mass Communication & Media Social interaction within groups
- LCC
- HV6439 .U5 .W5 — Social sciences Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology Crimes and offenses
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 275
- Popularity
- 116,882
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.86)
- Languages
- 7 — English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 18
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 12
