“Street gangs mirror the inhuman ambitions and greed of society’s trendsetters and deities even as they fight to the death over scraps from the table of the international drug trade. But John Hagedorn, characteristically, also finds hope in the contradictory values of outlaw youth—selflessness, solidarity, and love amid cupidity and directionless rage—and he maintains the hope that a culture of resistance will ultimately prevail over the forces of self-destruction. Whether one shares his optimism or not, he makes a compelling case that the future of the world will be determined on the streets of our cities.” —Mike Davis, from the Foreword
“A World of Gangs is an illuminating journey around the cultures, lives, tragedies, and dreams of millions of rebellious youth around the planet. It is an indispensable work to understand the world we live in and essential reading for students of cities and communities.” —Manuel Castells
For the more than a billion people who now live in urban slums, gangs are ubiquitous features of daily life. Though still most closely associated with American cities, gangs are an entrenched, worldwide phenomenon that play a significant role in a wide range of activities, from drug dealing to extortion to religious and political violence. In A World of Gangs, John Hagedorn explores this international proliferation of the urban gang as a consequence of the ravages of globalization. 
Looking closely at gang formation in three world cities-Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, and Capetown-he discovers that some gangs have institutionalized as a strategy to confront a hopeless cycle of poverty, racism, and oppression. In particular, Hagedorn reveals, the nihilistic appeal of gangsta rap and its street ethic of survival “by any means necessary” provides vital insights into the ideology and persistence of gangs around the world. This groundbreaking work concludes on a hopeful note. Proposing ways in which gangs might be encouraged to overcome their violent tendencies, Hagedorn appeals to community leaders to use the urgency, outrage, and resistance common to both gang life and hip-hop in order to bring gangs into broader movements for social justice.
John M. Hagedorn is associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He is editor of Gangs in the Global City and author of the highly influential People and Folks: Gangs, Crime, and the Underclass in a Rustbelt City.
MacArthur fellow Mike Davis is the author of many books, including Planet of Slums and, most recently, Buda’s Wagon: A Brief History of the Car Bomb.

A World of Gangs: Armed Young Men and Gangsta Culture (Volume 14) (Globalization and Community)

Politics & Social Sciences

Hagedorn, John M. M.

Social Sciences

Univ. of Minnesota Press

For the more than a billion people who now live in urban slums, gangs are ubiquitous features of daily life. Though still most closely associated with American cities, gangs are an entrenched, worldwide phenomenon that play a significant role in a wide range of activities, from drug dealing to extortion to religious and political violence. In A World of Gangs, John Hagedorn explores this international proliferation of the urban gang as a consequence of the ravages of globalization.
Looking closely at gang formation in three world cities-Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, and Capetown-he discovers that some gangs have institutionalized as a strategy to confront a hopeless cycle of poverty, racism, and oppression. In particular, Hagedorn reveals, the nihilistic appeal of gangsta rap and its street ethic of survival "by any means necessary" provides vital insights into the ideology and persistence of gangs around the world.
This groundbreaking work concludes on a hopeful note. Proposing ways in which gangs might be encouraged to overcome their violent tendencies, Hagedorn appeals to community leaders to use the urgency, outrage, and resistance common to both gang life and hip-hop in order to bring gangs into broader movements for social justice.

Forsaking Our Children is the story of what happens when an activist sociologist—and former welfare rights organizer—is hired to reform a child welfare system. Written for social workers and activists as well as for academics and policy makers, this book combines often gut-wrenching personal stories and a compelling narrative of a hard-fought reform struggle with a critical history of child welfare. Despite today's adverse conditions, Hagedorn argues against defeatism, proposing a concrete and attainable blueprint for reform of the U.S. child welfare system. How and why our child welfare system fails children and their families are central questions of this book. Chilling stories of these failures are combined with a new theoretical perspective which shows how welfare bureaucracies adapted to changing political conditions, substituting punitive interventions for the delivery of needed services. Hagedorn critically examines the history of public welfare from the 19th century through the New Deal, the Anti-Poverty Programs of the sixties, and the "discover" of child abuse in the seventies. The logical conclusion of this history is the current emphasis on removing children from their families and the creation of a new system of orphanages. Applying lessons learned from restructuring modern businesses to the reform of welfare bureaucracies, Hagedorn argues that genuine reform does not involve either massive cutbacks or infusion of new funds.

Forsaking Our Children: Bureaucracy and Reform in the Child Welfare System

Lakeview

People and Folks: Gangs, Crime and the Underclass in a Rustbelt City

When People and Folks first appeared, William Julius Wilson called it "the most insightful book ever written on inner-city gangs" and "required reading for anyone seeking an understanding of gang activity in our large urban centers." It was also praised by Ron Huff as "a vicarious journey into the underbelly of a rustbelt city, the breeding ground of gangs—Underclass America." This gritty and poignant portrait of gang members has become a major contribution to the academic literature.The first edition of People and Folks broke new ground, influencing a generation of researchers. This expanded edition also offers provocative new insights into race and class, challenging accepted theories with fresh data from one of the most extensive studies ever undertaken of street gangs in a single city. In particular, Hagedorn questions prevailing assumptions about gang violence, drug use, and the cultural differences between the inner-city "underclass" and the suburban middle classes. Unlike many other gang studies, he explores the nature of gender for both male and female gangs members and examines the differences between male and female gangs.

Anthropology

When People and Folks first appeared, William Julius Wilson called it "the most insightful book ever written on inner-city gangs" and "required reading for anyone seeking an understanding of gang activity in our large urban centers." It was also praised by Ron Huff as "a vicarious journey into the underbelly of a rustbelt city, the breeding ground of gangs—Underclass America." This gritty and poignant portrait of gang members has become a major contribution to the academic literature. The first edition of People and Folks broke new ground, influencing a generation of researchers. This expanded edition also offers provocative new insights into race and class, challenging accepted theories with fresh data from one of the most extensive studies ever undertaken of street gangs in a single city. In particular, Hagedorn questions prevailing assumptions about gang violence, drug use, and the cultural differences between the inner-city "underclass" and the suburban middle classes. Unlike many other gang studies, he explores the nature of gender for both male and female gangs members and examines the differences between male and female gangs.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Hagedorn, John M. M.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Hagedorn, John M. M.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Hagedorn, John M. M.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

A World of Gangs: Armed Young Men and Gangsta Culture (Volume 14) (Globalization and Community)

A World of Gangs: Armed Young Men and Gangsta Culture (Volume 14) (Globalization and Community)

Forsaking Our Children: Bureaucracy and Reform in the Child Welfare System

People and Folks: Gangs, Crime and the Underclass in a Rustbelt City

People and Folks: Gangs, Crime and the Underclass in a Rustbelt City