Street corner society: The social structure of an Italian sl

ISBN: 0226895424

Author: Whyte, William Foote

Condition: new

Street Corner Society is one of a handful of works that can justifiably be called classics of sociological research. William Foote Whytes account of the Italian American slum he called "Cornerville"-Bostons 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 books 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 authors 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