Living the Drama : Community, Conflict, and Culture Among Inner-City Boys

For the middle class and the affluent, local ties seem to matter less and less these days, but in the inner city, your life can be irrevocably shaped by what block you live on. Living the Drama takes a close look at three neighborhoods in Boston to analyze the many complex ways that the context of community shapes the daily lives and long-term prospects of inner-city boys. David J. Harding studied sixty adolescent boys growing up in two very poor areas and one working-class area. In the first two, violence and neighborhood identification are inextricably linked as rivalries divide the city into spaces safe, neutral, or dangerous. Consequently, Harding discovers, social relationships are determined by residential space. Older boys who can navigate the dangers of the streets serve as role models, and friendships between peers grow out of mutual protection. The impact of community goes beyond the realm of same-sex bonding, Harding reveals, affecting the boys’ experiences in school and with the opposite sex. A unique glimpse into the world of urban adolescent boys, Living the Drama paints a detailed, insightful portrait of life in the inner city. "For the middle class and the affluent, local ties seem to matter less and less these days, but in the inner city, your life can be irrevocably shaped by what block you live on. "Living the Drama" takes a close look at three neighborhoods in Boston to analyze the many complex ways that the context of community shapes the daily lives and long-term prospects of inner-city boys. David J. Harding studied sixty adolescent boys growing up in two very poor areas and one working-class area. In the first two, violence and neighborhood identification are inextricably linked, as rivalries divide the city into spaces safe, neutral, or dangerous. Consequently, Harding discovers, social relationships are determined by residential space. Older boys who can navigate the dangers of the streets serve as role models, and friendships between peers grow out of mutual protection. The impact of community goes beyond the realm of same-sex bonding, Harding reveals, affecting the boys' experiences in school and with the opposite sex. A unique glimpse into the world of urban adolescent boys, "Living the Drama" paints a detailed, insightful portrait of life in the inner city." -- BOOK PUBLISHER WEBSITE

For the middle class and the affluent, local ties seem to matter less and less these days, but in the inner city, your life can be irrevocably shaped by what block you live on. Living the Drama takes a close look at three neighborhoods in Boston to analyze the many complex ways that the context of community shapes the daily lives and long-term prospects of inner-city boys.

David J. Harding studied sixty adolescent boys growing up in two very poor areas and one working-class area. In the first two, violence and neighborhood identification are inextricably linked as rivalries divide the city into spaces safe, neutral, or dangerous. Consequently, Harding discovers, social relationships are determined by residential space. Older boys who can navigate the dangers of the streets serve as role models, and friendships between peers grow out of mutual protection. The impact of community goes beyond the realm of same-sex bonding, Harding reveals, affecting the boys' experiences in school and with the opposite sex. A unique glimpse into the world of urban adolescent boys, Living the Drama paints a detailed, insightful portrait of life in the inner city.

Preface......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 14 1 INTRODUCTION......Page 18 2 THE SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF VIOLENCE IN POOR NEIGHBORHOODS......Page 44 3 NEIGHBORHOOD VIOLENCE, PEER RELATIONSHIPS,AND INSTITUTIONAL DISTRUST......Page 85 4 NEIGHBORHOOD SOCIAL ATTACHMENT......Page 125 5 THE CULTURAL CONTEXT OF DISADVANTAGED NEIGHBORHOODS......Page 149 6 CULTURAL HETEROGENEITY, ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS, AND SEXUAL BEHAVIOR......Page 179 7 CULTURAL HETEROGENEITY AND EDUCATION......Page 221 8 CONCLUSION......Page 256 Appendix: Fieldwork Methodology......Page 270 Notes......Page 288 References......Page 310 Index......Page 322 Contents 8 Preface 8 Acknowledgments 14 1 INTRODUCTION 18 2 THE SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF VIOLENCE IN POOR NEIGHBORHOODS 44 3 NEIGHBORHOOD VIOLENCE, PEER RELATIONSHIPS,AND INSTITUTIONAL DISTRUST 85 4 NEIGHBORHOOD SOCIAL ATTACHMENT 125 5 THE CULTURAL CONTEXT OF DISADVANTAGED NEIGHBORHOODS 149 6 CULTURAL HETEROGENEITY, ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS, AND SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 179 7 CULTURAL HETEROGENEITY AND EDUCATION 221 8 CONCLUSION 256 Appendix: Fieldwork Methodology 270 Notes 288 References 310 Index 322 9780226316642 The Social Organization Of Violence In Poor Neighborhoods -- Neighborhood Violence, Peer Relationships, And Institutional Distrust -- Neighborhood Social Attachment -- The Cultural Context Of Disadvantaged Neighborhoods -- Cultural Heterogeneity, Romantic Relationships, And Sexual Behavior -- Cultural Heterogeneity And Education. David J. Harding. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [293]-304) And Index.