Foote whyte street corner society

To ask other readers questions about Street Corner Society , please sign up. Be the first to ask a question about Street Corner Society. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3.

Rating details. More filters. Sort order. I finally finished Street Corner Society!! But as the corner boys grew in their characters, it was impossible not to see how this book influences much societal understanding of these people even decades into the future. The Sopranos anyone? While it is always strange to read a book about a persisting phenomenon in a different time and space, the impact of Whyte's urban ethnography on an Italian slum in Boston's North End in the late 's cannot be overstated.

Some passages are surprisingly contemporary, especially those referring to the relationship between the police and the racket organizations -and I am a Latin American reader of the 21st century.

Even more than the actual ethnographic analysis, I found very interesting the Po While it is always strange to read a book about a persisting phenomenon in a different time and space, the impact of Whyte's urban ethnography on an Italian slum in Boston's North End in the late 's cannot be overstated.

Even more than the actual ethnographic analysis, I found very interesting the Post-scriptum on this edition I read, on the explanation of how the study developed, starting from Whyte's economist background in Harvard, the scholarships, his living in Cornerville, getting married and just how life goes by as you keep on doing your research. It's a candid account, much more than we are used to in these days. He must be one of Whyte's most qualified disciples. May 05, FiveBooks added it Shelves: fivebooks-on-policing.

Whyte learns that things are not as simple as they appear on the corner. Oct 01, Christian O. Jan 04, Darcie rated it really liked it Shelves: non-fiction.

View all 8 comments. Jun 15, Rogue Reader rated it really liked it Shelves: work. Captivated by the visible influence of relationships, and the give and take between individuals that establish group hierarchies. While Whyte describes this urban, relatively new immigrant population of Italians, the tribute by Angelo Orlandella suggests that understanding these nuances and behaviors is universal and can facilitate relationships in every domain. Hard to imagine that these were new ideas that spawned an innovative approach to cultural research.

Def struck by the power of Whyte's Captivated by the visible influence of relationships, and the give and take between individuals that establish group hierarchies. Def struck by the power of Whyte's observations, but concerned that he lost connection to those who were most important to his work and that some, particularly Doc, felt used. That is so very important to me, to know that the gift of disclosure and trust must be acknowledged, maintained and returned even in an anthropological or sociological exchange.

Jul 04, Tim Scott rated it liked it. I read passages from this book when I was an undergrad in, probably, and meant to read the whole thing some day. It turns out that I like sociology as a bigger picture. Though I enjoyed reading this study, the nitty gritty parts were tedious for me so that i sped through at times. More, I enjoyed the page appendix where the author described his process, difficulties and strategies.

Mar 14, Andrew rated it it was amazing. I read this book as part of a research project I was working on during college. I read a lot of sociology as part of my degree but this is the only book I read that I enjoyed as a piece of narrative non-fiction. It's not a cold academic evaluation of social works, it's a story with rich lively characters told in a setting that that Foote Whyte paints vividly.

Highly recommend this to anyone studying sociology, social psychology, or anthropology. It shows that research can be entertaining.

The author used a language in this book that we can call both academic and literary. It is quite fluent and never boring. The section of a book in which the author describes the background and research method of the book is interesting. The author also criticized himself and replied critiques against his book on academic releases.

Oct 10, Rosemary rated it it was amazing Shelves: sociology. Finally finish this book after three weeks! Definitely a social science classic. How street corner society operates deeply reflects on larger social structures. More importantly, the author wrote about how he did field work in urban cities.

This is pretty much the very first book talking about ethnography in urban environment. Recommend to anyone who is interested in social science! Jul 21, Martin Willoughby rated it it was ok. Good if you're studying early 20th century social structures, not so good as a piece of history. Sep 14, Pamela rated it it was amazing. My first introduction to the study of sociology in urban America. A classic observational study. Sep 30, John rated it did not like it Shelves: own.

Did not like this book in the least. 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.

Back to top. Table of Contents. Doc and His Boys 1. The Members of the Gang 2. Bowling and Social Ranking 3. The Nortons and the Aphrodite Club 4. Disintegration II. Chick and His Club 1. The Story of Chick Morelli 2. Organizing the Club 3. Social Activities 4. Opposition to Chick 5. The Second Season 6. Disintegration 7. Republican Politics 8. Social Structure and Social Mobility 1. The Nature of the Groups 2.

The Social Role of the Settlement House 3. Racketeers and Politicians IV. The Social Structure of Racketeering 1.

History of the Rackets 2. Organization of the Policy Racket 3. Relations with the Police 4. The Racketeers in the Cornerville S. Club 1. Tony Cataldo and the Shelby Street Boys 2. Reorganizing the Club 4.

The Political Issue 5. The Crisis and Tony Cataldo 6. The New Administration 8.