William foote whyte s account of the italian american slum he called cornervillebostons north endhas been the model for urban ethnography for fifty years. By july 1940, whyte had written a first draft of what would become a foundational text in urban ethnography, street corner society. Therefore, aiming to keep the observation objective and free from bias. Street corner society is one of a handful of works that can justifiably be called classics of sociological research. Street corner sounds society vocal social club nj home. Indeed, a variety of ethnographic accounts since whytes 1943 street corner society. Street corner society, a classic work by sociologist whyte, documents one of the first qualitative participant observation studies ever done. William foote whyte june 27, 1914 july 16, 2000 was a sociologist chiefly known for his ethnographic study in urban sociology, street corner society. He recalls the time when the buildings of an industrial office park were finished and.
I found it very interesting what they discovered along the way when looking at the plazas and how the sun, location, gender, and other elements plays a significant role and how it affects the way people would use the space to socialize or not use the space for a. Patricks findings relate to social conditions that led to such a gang forming and. However, since case studies involve intensive study of only one social unit, doubts are often raised about their utility in contributing towards broader. Revisiting case study method of social research examining. Still best known for street corner society, undertaken on a junior fellowship from harvard in 1934, william foote whyte s research career spanned six decades and generated learning that has gone beyond the academic disciplines of sociology and anthropology to address, and in some cases resolve, realworld management dilemmas.
Street corner society by william foote whyte looks at social ties that the corner boys of cornerville share, even though social inequality is the main cause of failure in this community, social ties prevents large scale crime from occurring. An example of participant observation scool, the revision. William foote whyte s street corner society is an example of which method of research. When she writes up her findings, she generalizes to all college students.
This article traces his achievements over the decades, as he developed and applied a participatory action research methodology in the kitchens. Revisiting case study method of social research examining its. Racketeers and politicians through interviewing and participant observation, the second part of whytes book examines politics and racketeering in cornerville. Oct 24, 2015 journal of contemporary ethnography vol. Thus, the study generated research findings of relevance to particular debates within youth studies e. Whyte differentiated between corner boys and college boys. Liebow accompanied negro street corner men to bars and parties, court appearances and jail visits from downtown washington dc. Street corner society was a very interesting book and a landmark of its genre. Street corner society is considered by many social scientists as a classic in the sociological literature.
It is a study of young men from an inner city italian community in boston, usa. Whyte comments on the issues raised regarding the intellectual background of the book and his relations with the community studied. This research evidence, we hope, will demonstrate our concluding argument that youth research can, and perhaps should, simultaneously attend to the youth cultural, leisurebased lives of its. This is a study of the social structure of what whyte. Whyte s street corner society in the late 1930s, a young graduate student at harvard university named william foote whyte became fascinated by the lively street life of a nearby, rather rundown section of boston. On methodology in street corner society my symbolic. We didnt lush steal from a drunk or get in crap games. Street corner society is an ethnography written by william foote whyte and published in 1943. Street corner society, william foote whyte andy smooth part ii. William foote whytes street corner society is an example of which method of research. Almost 50 years after its publication, street corner society was the focus of new scholarly attention inreframing organizational culture and a special issue of the journal of contemporary ethnology. William foote whyte, street corner society and social oorganisation, in. Journal of the history of the behavioral sciences 50, s.
What is it about street corner society that cause dr. Learn about its history, how it is conducted, and its pros and cons here. He also discusses the new style of criticism embodied in critical. William foote whytes account of the italian american slum he called cornervillebostons north endhas been the model for urban ethnography for fifty years. Corner boys grew up, not in schools, but with each other on the area street corners. Her generalization is unwarranted because her sample was. A level sociology a resourcebased learning approach module one. The main aim of the author is to ward off a chaotic nature of bostons north end by the indepth study of social groups and local institutions. The social structure of an italian slum, william foote whyte is published by university of chicago press. William whytestreet corner society, 1955whytes study is a classic of research in the p. The study of the social organization of bostons north end, at the time a largely italian slum, was a perfect example of what whyte meant by participant observer. Street corner society synopsis essay 1041 words 5 pages. Whyte differentiated between corner boys and college boys the lives of the corner boys revolved around particular street corners and the nearby shops. Street corner society ebook by william foote whyte.
One of the most exciting aspects of street corner society is not directly about crime and its relation to prohibition, fascinating as that has been, but about the methods whyte used to bring out the relationship between individual and society in his research. When my parents decided to get married in the mid1950s, my fathers family called my mother the white woman she is of northern european extract. By mapping the intricate social worlds of street gangs and corner boys, whyte was among the first to demonstrate. Whyte enjoys stories in which the accidents of fortune win out over the deliberation of planning. By mapping the intricate social worlds of street gangs and corner boys, whyte was among the first to. Street corner society synopsis research paper 1045 words. Participant observation advantages and disadvantages. Society is a great case study in its ability to be generalized from issues on individual performance, social and organizational structures of. William foote whytes research works with 1,398 citations and 2,429 reads, including. The structural and cultural dynamics of neighborhood violence. Street corner sounds society vocal social club nj, woodbridge, new jersey. Of course the other group whyte completely ignored was women and that is understandable because women were little valued in the north end culture of the time.
The original monograph, based on field work in 19361940, and published in 1943, has been updated with new material in subsequent new editions of the book in 1955, 1981, and the fourth, or fiftieth anniversary, edition in 1993. William foote whyte june 27, 1914 july 16, 2000 was an american sociologist, chiefly known for his ethnographic study in urban sociology, street corner society. Andersson and others to hold it in such high regard. Whyte, from an upper middle class background, showed an early interest in writing, economics and social reform. Last year marked the 50th anniversary of behavioral scientist whyte s first, and arguably his most important work, street corner society. Ethnography is both a social science research method and a finished product. The lives of the former men revolved around particular street corners and the nearby shops. He was bigger than me, and he had walloped me different times before i finally walloped. William foote whytes street corner society scs 1943c. This will depend, very much, on how she is seen by the group being studied. Street corner society describes various groups and communities within the district. Respondent validation, and democratic participation in mixed methods research. Street corner society is a famous descriptive case study written by william foote whyte and published in 1943 read more about street corner society. Whyte the study of a slum society which has become a sociological classic.
Street corner society is a classic case study by william foote whyte, which has been considered as a must read in the community of sociology, for decades. The name of william foote whyte is most frequently associated with street corner society, the sociological study of life in bostons north end during the late 1930s, but his research spanned another sixty years in a range of settings on three continents. Participant observation and crime history learning site. I would say that the characterization of lower class neighbourhoods as being disorganized is. Almost 50 years after its publication,street corner society was the focus of new scholarly attention inreframing organizational culture and a special issue of the journal of contemporary ethnology. It received little attention when it was first published, but upon being reissued in 1955 it became a bestseller as well as a standard college text, and established whyte s reputation as a. A case study may be descriptive or explanatory or even exploratory. Washington dc slum, 1967 a study of negro street corner men. The importance of place the opportunity series medium. Street corner society originally titled street corner society.
Triangulation, respondent validation, and democratic. Margaret mead pioneered this kind of observational sociologyanthropology with her coming of age in samoa. While defending his study findings, whyte subsequently accused chicago. Street corner society describes how local gangs were formed and organized. An example of overt participant observation is william f.
Street corner society, university of chicago press, usa. Its unlikely a researcher will be able to generalise their findings from one. The social structure of an italian slumby william foote whyte my family has been considered white since before i was born probably since about 1960. Through this work, whyte became a pioneer in participant observation.
William foote whyte, street corner society and social organization oscar andersson social scientists have mostly taken it for granted that william foote whytes sociological classic street corner society scs, 1943 belongs to the chicago school of sociologys research tradition or that it is a relatively independent study which cannot be. All observation involves the selection of data, but in p. Should i have fed back my findings on the social ranking and lead. Study 56 terms sociology chapter 3 flashcards quizlet. Street corner society is a famous descriptive case study written by william foote whyte and published in 1943 in the late 1930s, whyte lived in a slum district of boston that was mostly inhabited by first and second generation immigrants from italy. However, since case studies involve intensive study of only one social unit, doubts are often raised. Social norms in anthropology studying social norms. Street corner society was significant to its eras social. However, whyte, despite employing an overt participant observer role, did increasingly come to view himself as one of the gang during his fieldwork research. Whytes study street corner society, 1943 where he was protected from potential antagonism by his friendship with doc, his sponsor. Street corner society is a famous descriptive case study written by william foote whyte and published in 1943. One of the most resilient findings across such studies is the seemingly paradoxical coexistence of lawabiding and deviant cultural systems.
On methodology in street corner society my symbolic interaction. Mar 30, 2015 one of the most exciting aspects of street corner society is not directly about crime and its relation to prohibition, fascinating as that has been, but about the methods whyte used to bring out the relationship between individual and society in his research. A pioneer in participant observation, he lived for four years in an italian community in boston while a junior fellow at harvard researching social relations of street gangs in bostons north end. Whytes street corner society in the late 1930s, a young graduate student at harvard university named william foote whyte became fascinated by the lively street life of a nearby, rather rundown section of boston. One of the first studies to apply participant observation method to population within our own society. A classic study of fieldwork and participant observation.
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