Street Corner Society: The Social Structure of an Italian Slum

Whyte, William Foote

ISBN 10: 0226895459 / ISBN 13: 9780226895451

Published by University of Chicago Press, 1993

Seller Inventory # mon0000523339

Synopsis:

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 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.

"Street Corner Society broke new ground and set a standard for field research in American cities that remains a source of intellectual challenge."—Robert Washington, Reviews in Anthropology

From the Back Cover: 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.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Street Corner Society: The Social Structure ...
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Publication Date: 1993
Binding: paperback
Condition: Good
Edition: 4th Edition