Page 55 - Essencials of Sociology

28 CHAPTER 1 The Sociological Perspective

Down-to-Earth Sociology

Gang Leader for a Day: Adventures of a Rogue Sociologist

ext to the University of Chicago is an area of poverty “I’m not black,” came the reply.
so dangerous that the professors warn students to “Well, then, how does it feel to be African American and
Navoid it. One graduate student in sociology, Sudhir poor?”
Venkatesh, the son of immigrants from India, who was “I’m not African American either. I’m a nigger.”
working on a research project with William Julius Wilson, Sudhir was left speechless. Despite his naïveté, he knew
ignored the warning. better than to ask, “How does it feel to be a nigger and poor?”
With clipboard in hand, Sudhir entered “the projects.” As Sudhir stood with his mouth agape, J. T. added, “Niggers
Ignoring the glares of the young men standing around, he are the ones who live in this building. African Americans live
went into the lobby of a high-rise. Seeing a gaping hole in the suburbs. African Americans wear ties to work.
where the elevator was supposed to be, he decided Niggers can’t find no work.”
to climb the stairs, where he was almost overpowered Not exactly the best start to a research project.
by the smell of urine. After climbing five flights, Sudhir But this weird and frightening beginning turned
came upon some young men shooting craps in a dark into several years of fascinating research. Over time,
hallway. One of them jumped up, grabbed Sud- J. T. guided Sudhir into a world that few outsid-
hir’s clipboard, and demanded to know what ers ever see. Not only did Sudhir get to know
he was doing there. drug dealers, crackheads, squatters, prosti-
Sudhir blurted, “I’m a student at the uni- tutes, and pimps, but he also was present at
versity, doing a survey, and I’m looking for beatings by drug crews, drive-by shootings
some families to interview.” done by rival gangs, and armed robberies
One man took out a knife and began to by the police.
twirl it. Another pulled out a gun, pointed How Sudhir got out of his predicament in
it at Sudhir’s head, and said, “I’ll take him.” the stairwell, his immersion into a threatening
Then came a series of rapid-fire ques- underworld—the daily life for many people
tions that Sudhir couldn’t answer. He had no Sudhir Venkatesh, who now teaches at in “the projects”—and his moral dilemma at
idea what they meant: “You flip right or left? Columbia University, New York City. witnessing crimes are part of his fascinating
Five or six? You run with the Kings, right?” experience in doing participant observation
Grabbing Sudhir’s bag, two of the men searched it. They of the Black Kings.
could find only questionnaires, pen and paper, and a few so- Sudhir, who was reared in a middle-class suburb in
ciology books. The man with the gun then told Sudhir to go California, even took over this Chicago gang for a day. This
ahead and ask him a question. is one reason that he calls himself a rogue sociologist—
Sweating despite the cold, Sudhir read the first question the decisions he made that day were violations of law,
on his survey, “How does it feel to be black and poor?” Then felonies that could bring years in prison. There are other
he read the multiple-choice answers: “Very bad, somewhat reasons, too: During the research, he kicked a man in the
bad, neither bad nor good, somewhat good, very good.” stomach, and he was present as the gang planned drive-by
As you might surmise, the man’s answer was too obscenity shootings.
laden to be printed here. Sudhir survived, completed his Ph.D., and now teaches at
As the men deliberated Sudhir’s fate (“If he’s here and he Columbia University.
don’t get back, you know they’re going to come looking for Source: Based on Venkatesh 2008.
him”), a powerfully built man with glittery gold teeth and a
sizable diamond earring appeared. The man, known as J. T.,
who, it turned out, directed the drug trade in the building, For Your Consideration
asked what was going on. When the younger men mentioned ↑ From this report, what do you see as the advantages of
the questionnaire, J. T. said to ask him a question. participant observation? Its disadvantages? Do you think
Amidst an eerie silence, Sudhir asked, “How does it feel to that doing sociological research justifies being present at
be black and poor?” beatings? At the planning of drive-by shootings?

how people tried to put their lives together after the devastation. For spouse abuse, a
Read on MySocLab
Document: The Promise and case study would focus on a gsingle wife and husband, exploring the couple’s history
Pitfalls of Going into the Field and relationship.
As you can see, the case study reveals a lot of detail about some particular situation,
but the question always remains: How much of this detail applies to other situations?
This problem of generalizability, which plagues case studies, is the primary reason that
few sociologists use this method.