A book review on gaining influence and power in American Italian slum
- Full title: Street Corner Society: The Social Structure of an Italian Slum
- Author: William Foote Whyte
- Publisher: University of California Press
- Paperback: 418 pages
- Year: 1943
My Review’s Abstract
The main aim of the author is to “ward off a chaotic nature” of Boston’s North End through the in-depth study of social groups and local institutions with decisive influence over individual social mobility.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- “Corner boys” vs. “College boys”
- Racketeering, Politics and Social Structure
- “Street Corner Society” Today
Original Abstract (1943)
“Street Corner Society” is one of a handful of works that can justifiably be called classics of sociological research. William Foote Whyte’s account of the Italian American slum he called ‘Cornerville’ – Boston’s North End – has been the model for urban ethnography for fifty years.
Street Corner Society – Book Review