An Analysis of In Search of Respect1
In his book, In Search of Respect, Philippe Bourgois discussed his experiences living in El Barrio (East Harlem). An interesting new insight into the street culture found in New York was captured in this book. The amount of poverty in this portion of our country is much higher than that in most other areas. Bourgois argues that this neighborhood, which is well known for high rates of violence, does not have widespread violence occurring amongst all of it's members. The higher crime rate, argues Bourgois, occurs for the most part within the factions of the underground economy. Some insight into this economy would explain the reasons for higher rates of violence.This book is a summary of the events that occurred during Bourgois' stay in El Barrio. The original purpose of the book was to write a first-hand account of poverty and ethnic segregation in the heart of one of the world's largest cities. Bourgois was swept into the area drug economy because of the abundance of information from the dealers and their families who all lived within the immediate area. The problem was so prevalent that the focus of th
Cambridge University Press, New York. The way in which he writes also compliments his argument by drawing the reader in and making him feel like he himself were there. Bourgois states that many of the unemployed in the inner-city are not successful in finding work because they lack the skills of working efficiently with people that they don't already have an every day relationship with, something that factory jobs provided. Bourgois argues that, to reduce the violence within the drug community, we should consider the decriminalization of drugs. Bourgois' portrayal of the dealers and their families makes it difficult for the reader not to feel sympathy and compassion towards them. Cambridge University Press, New York. Factory jobs that moved out of the inner-cities left the large minority groups without a collective workplace where everybody knew their task and how to complete it. Many may not agree with the solution that Bourgois suggests, but everyone who reads the book will re-think their own views before discussing them again. '" This means that by creating an amount of fear among the people who may try to rip off the dealers, they are indeed protecting themselves from harm, theft, or loss of business. This violence is seen among the dealers and the overall underground economy as a form of "investment in one's 'human capital development. The current availability of jobs within the inner-city is mostly within the service sector. 1995Bibliography Bourgois, Philippe. Most of the accounts given in the book come from a single crack house near Bourgois' tenement.
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Acceptance Essays
