article

In search of masculinity: violence, respect and sexuality among Puerto Rican crack dealers in East Harlem

British journal of criminology36Published In 1996 • Pages: 412-427

By: Bourgois, Philippe I..

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This article is based on the ethnographic fieldwork of the author while residing next to a crack house in East Harlem, New York during the period of the late 1980s to the early 1990s. Burgois describes '…how the social and economic marginalization of second- and third-generation Puerto Rican immigrants in the inner city has polarized violence and sexuality against women and children, both within the family and on the street. Traditional working-class patriarchy has been thrown into crisis by the restructuring of the global economy and the expansion of women's rights. Unable to replicate the rural-based models of masculinity and family structure of their grandfathers' generation, a growing cohort of marginalized men in the de-industrialized urban economy takes refuge in the drug economy and celebrates a misogynist, predatory street culture that normalizes gang rape, sexual conquest, and paternal abandomnent. Marginalized men lash out against the women and children they can no longer support economically nor control patriarchally' (p. 412).
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Theoretical orientation in research and its results
Life history materials
Labor supply and employment
Labor relations
Status, role, and prestige
Gender status
Ingroup antagonisms
Household
Family relationships
Sexuality
Miscellaneous sex behavior
Adolescent activities
Gender roles and issues
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Puerto Ricans (Mainland)
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2002
RegionThe area the document pertains to
North America
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Regional, Ethnic and Diaspora Cultures
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
article
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Ethnologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
John Beierle ; 2000
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
late 1980s-early 1990s
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
ca. 1946-1990s
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
East Harlem, New York, N.Y., United States
NotesAdditional notes
Philippe Bourgois
Includes bibliographical references (p. 425-427)
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
62052872
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Puerto Ricans--United States