Wounded City

Violent Turf Wars in a Chicago Barrio

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Urban, Crimes & Criminals, Criminology
Cover of the book Wounded City by Robert Vargas, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Robert Vargas ISBN: 9780190245931
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: April 1, 2016
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Robert Vargas
ISBN: 9780190245931
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: April 1, 2016
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

In 2009, Chicago spent millions of dollars to create programs to prevent gang violence in some of its most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Yet in spite of the programs, violence has grown worse in some of the very neighborhoods that the violence prevention programs were intented to help. While public officials and social scientists often attribute the violence - and the failure of the programs - to a lack of community in poor neighborhoods, closer study reveals another source of community division: local politics. Through an ethnographic case study of Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, Wounded City dispells the popular belief that a lack of community is the primary source of violence, arguing that competition for political power and state resources often undermine efforts to reduce gang violence. Robert Vargas argues that the state, through the way it governs, can contribute to distrust and division among community members, thereby undermining social cohesion. The strategic actions taken by police officers, politicians, nonprofit organizations, and gangs to collaborate or compete for power and resources can vary block by block, triggering violence on some blocks while successfully preventing it on others. A rich blend of urban politics, sociology, and criminology, Wounded City offers a cautionary tale for elected officials, state agencies, and community based organizations involved with poor neighborhoods.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

In 2009, Chicago spent millions of dollars to create programs to prevent gang violence in some of its most disadvantaged neighborhoods. Yet in spite of the programs, violence has grown worse in some of the very neighborhoods that the violence prevention programs were intented to help. While public officials and social scientists often attribute the violence - and the failure of the programs - to a lack of community in poor neighborhoods, closer study reveals another source of community division: local politics. Through an ethnographic case study of Chicago's Little Village neighborhood, Wounded City dispells the popular belief that a lack of community is the primary source of violence, arguing that competition for political power and state resources often undermine efforts to reduce gang violence. Robert Vargas argues that the state, through the way it governs, can contribute to distrust and division among community members, thereby undermining social cohesion. The strategic actions taken by police officers, politicians, nonprofit organizations, and gangs to collaborate or compete for power and resources can vary block by block, triggering violence on some blocks while successfully preventing it on others. A rich blend of urban politics, sociology, and criminology, Wounded City offers a cautionary tale for elected officials, state agencies, and community based organizations involved with poor neighborhoods.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of Functional Brain Imaging in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neurosciences by Robert Vargas
Cover of the book Printing and the Book: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Robert Vargas
Cover of the book Electromyography in Clinical Practice by Robert Vargas
Cover of the book Understanding the Experience of Disability by Robert Vargas
Cover of the book Fuzzy Logic and Mathematics by Robert Vargas
Cover of the book Understanding Cultures through Their Key Words by Robert Vargas
Cover of the book San Francisco - With Audio Level 1 Factfiles Oxford Bookworms Library by Robert Vargas
Cover of the book Out in the Periphery by Robert Vargas
Cover of the book All That Jazz by Robert Vargas
Cover of the book Pen and Ink Witchcraft by Robert Vargas
Cover of the book The Best Things in Life by Robert Vargas
Cover of the book Sierra Leone by Robert Vargas
Cover of the book Distinctiveness and Memory by Robert Vargas
Cover of the book A Historical Guide to Herman Melville by Robert Vargas
Cover of the book More by Robert Vargas
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy