David Brotherton Boeken

Gangs have been heavily pathologized in the last several decades. In comparison to the pioneering Chicago School work on gangs in the 1920’s we have moved away from a humanistic appraisal of and sensitivity toward the phenomenon and have allowed the gang to become a highly plastic folk devil. This is the central thesis of David Brotherton’s new and highly contentious book on street gangs. Drawing on a wealth of highly acclaimed original research, Brotherton explores the socially layered practices of street gangs; including community movements, cultural projects and sites of social protest. The book also examines geographical trajectories of streets gangs from New York and Puerto Rico to Europe, the Caribbean and South America, as well as criminal justice responses to gangs including those of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Brotherton concludes with a discussion of what some progressive policies might look like that address the felt conditions of youth involved in street gang lives.