Overview

"Routledge International Handbook of Critical Gang Studies is rooted in the instability, inequality and liquidity of the post-industrial era. It understands the gang as a complex and contradictory phenomenon; a socio-historical agent that reflects, responds to and creates a certain structured environment in spaces which are always in flux. International in scope and drawing on a range of sociological, criminological and anthropological traditions, it looks beyond pathological, ahistorical and non-transformative approaches, and considers other important factors that produce the phenomenon, whether the historically entrenched racialized power structure and segregation in Chicago; the unconstrained state-abandoned development of favelas in Brazil; or the colonization, displacement and dependency of people in Central America. This handbook reflects and defines the new theoretical and empirical traditions of critical gang studies. It offers a variety of perspectives, including: A view of gangs that takes into consideration the global context and appearance of the ""gang"" in its various forms and stages of development; An appreciation of the gang as a socio-cultural formation; A race-ethnic and class analysis of the gang that problematizes domain assumptions such as the ""underclass""; Gender variations of the gang phenomenon with a particular emphasis on their intersectional properties; Relations between gangs and the political economy that address the dominant mode of production and exchange; Treatments that demonstrate the historically contingent nature of gangs and their changes across time; The contradictory impact of gang repressive policies, institutions and practices as part of a broader discussion on the nature of the state in specific societies; and Critical methodologies on gangs that involve discussions of visual and textual representations and the problematics of data collection and analysis. Authoritative, multi-disciplinary and international, this book will be of interest to criminologists, sociologists and anthropologists alike, particularly those engaged with critical criminology/sociology, youth crime, delinquency and global social inequality. The Handbook will also be of interest to policy makers and those in the peacebuilding field."

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9781032008851

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Reviews

"This will be one of the most widely read and cited anthologies in critical criminological history. David Brotherton and Rafael Gude assembled a group of highly respected scholars, all of whom have contributed rich reviews of the extant literature in their particular areas of critical gang studies. There is, indeed, no other book like this one, and it is a useful, ""cutting-edge"" resource for researchers, teachers, students, practitioners, and policy makers. Professor Walter S. Dekeseredy, West Virginia University Spanning the globe, this extraordinary book provides exciting and theoretically informed analyses that challenge the status quo, provoke difficult conversations, and compel the reader to view social justice and inequality as central to contemporary gang studies. A tour de force that will stimulate and create pause for reflection, it is simultaneously a major chronicle of our times. Rob White, Distinguished Professor of Criminology, University of Tasmania, Australia Canvassing a broad swath of the sociological literature on street gangs, this anthology will become a vital source of information for future gang researchers. No stone is left unturned. The authors cover gangs from theoretical, practical, and historical perspectives to comparative international viewpoints. It is an important contribution to critical gang studies. Mark S. Hamm, Professor of Criminology, Indiana State University This anthology of gang studies represents critical scholarship at its best. Written and edited by leading scholars in the field, this work contributes to our understanding of the historical, political, and cultural dynamics of the street gang on a global scale. It represents a refreshing antidote to conventional views which tend to pathologize such groups. It is essential reading for academics, practitioners, students, and anyone interested in a more humanist perspective. Tara Young, Lecturer in Criminal Justice and Criminology, Unviersity of Kent Gangs are much maligned, misunderstood and demonised. While gang members are caricatured as thugs, deviants, drug dealers and the criminals. Gangster is a term all too often mis-used to stigmatise the marginal and criminalise racial groupings of young people. Yet, gangs can be sites of resistance that offer marginalised young people a space for collective identify formation to contest the militarised policing and suppression efforts of settler colonialism that lingers in so many parts of the world. The Routledge Handbook of Critical Gang Studies unpacks these caricatures. Drawing on original studies from Africa, Central and Latin America, Asia, Canada, Europe and United States this compendium debunks the shortfalls of reactionary approaches, such as gang suppression. Based on rich ethnographies, biographies and qualitative methods the 49 chapters apply theories from critical, cultural, de-colonial, Indigenous, Latina and southern perspectives to unearth rich new understandings about gangs as spaces of identity, resistance and belonging. It is essential reading for anyone remotely connected to the correctional and criminal justice systems, such as social workers, police, lawyers, legislators and of course students and academics from an array of disciplines in the social sciences, including criminology, law, sociology, anthropology, social work, public policy, humanities, cultural studies and history. Professor Kerry Carrington, QUT Centre for Justice, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane Australia ""This will be one of the most widely read and cited anthologies in critical criminological history. David Brotherton and Rafael Gude assembled a group of highly respected scholars, all of whom have contributed rich reviews of the extant literature in their particular areas of critical gang studies. There is, indeed, no other book like this one, and it is a useful, ""cutting-edge"" resource for researchers, teachers, students, practitioners, and policy makers."" Walter S. Dekeseredy, Professor, West Virginia University ""Spanning the globe, this extraordinary book provides exciting and theoretically informed analyses that challenge the status quo, provoke difficult conversations, and compel the reader to view social justice and inequality as central to contemporary gang studies. A tour de force that will stimulate and create pause for reflection, it is simultaneously a major chronicle of our times."" Rob White, Distinguished Professor of Criminology, University of Tasmania, Australia ""Canvassing a broad swath of the sociological literature on street gangs, this anthology will become a vital source of information for future gang researchers. No stone is left unturned. The authors cover gangs from theoretical, practical, and historical perspectives to comparative international viewpoints. It is an important contribution to critical gang studies."" Mark S. Hamm, Professor of Criminology, Indiana State University ""This anthology of gang studies represents critical scholarship at its best. Written and edited by leading scholars in the field, this work contributes to our understanding of the historical, political, and cultural dynamics of the street gang on a global scale. It represents a refreshing antidote to conventional views which tend to pathologize such groups. It is essential reading for academics, practitioners, students, and anyone interested in a more humanist perspective."" Tara Young, Lecturer in Criminal Justice and Criminology, Unviersity of Kent ""Gangs are much maligned, misunderstood and demonised. While gang members are caricatured as thugs, deviants, drug dealers and the criminals. Gangster is a term all too often mis-used to stigmatise the marginal and criminalise racial groupings of young people. Yet, gangs can be sites of resistance that offer marginalised young people a space for collective identify formation to contest the militarised policing and suppression efforts of settler colonialism that lingers in so many parts of the world. The Routledge Handbook of Critical Gang Studies unpacks these caricatures. Drawing on original studies from Africa, Central and Latin America, Asia, Canada, Europe and United States this compendium debunks the shortfalls of reactionary approaches, such as gang suppression. Based on rich ethnographies, biographies and qualitative methods the 49 chapters apply theories from critical, cultural, de-colonial, Indigenous, Latina and southern perspectives to unearth rich new understandings about gangs as spaces of identity, resistance and belonging. It is essential reading for anyone remotely connected to the correctional and criminal justice systems, such as social workers, police, lawyers, legislators and of course students and academics from an array of disciplines in the social sciences, including criminology, law, sociology, anthropology, social work, public policy, humanities, cultural studies and history."" Kerry Carrington, Professor, QUT Centre for Justice, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane Australia"

Author Information

David C. Brotherton is Professor of Sociology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Graduate Center at the City University of New York, where his research on youth resistance, marginalization and gangs led to the Street Organization Project in 1997. He has received numerous research grants from both private and public agencies and has published widely in journals, books, newspapers and magazines. Dr Brotherton currently co-directs the Social Change Project at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and edits the Transgressive Studies book series at Temple University Press. In 2011 he was named Critical Criminologist of the Year and in 2015 was the recipient of the Praxis Award for contributions to social activism and justice. Rafael Jose Gude is a Research Fellow with the Social Change and Transgressive Studies Project at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY. He has done extensive fieldwork with gangs in both El Salvador and Ecuador, where much of his research has focused on developing viable alternatives to the war on gangs. He has an MPhil in Latin American Studies from the University of Oxford.

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