Abstract
Social scientists have long recognized that culture remains the lens through which people see their world. Included in this chapter are examples that emerged over the course of this research which suggested either a cultural basis for the decisions made by new-age gang leaders and players, or were provided as outright justifications for the actions of the same. Situational analysis was a particularly revealing methodology in this Chapter, as it provided a framework for the analysis of the “on-the-ground” decisions made by new-age street gang leaders in both identifying and selecting targets, or remedying perceived risks.
Culture is the “lens” through which we view the world; the “logic” by which we order it; the “grammar” by which it makes sense.
This quote is attributed to anthropologists Kevin Avruch and Peter Black (1993).
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Notes
- 1.
An emic terminology or perspective is one that is shared by insiders to the phenomenon under discussion; in this instance among gang leaders and players.
- 2.
The two gangs mentioned were engaged in a protracted period of intergang warfare in Calgary, Alberta, Canada that spanned the years 2003–2009. The explanation for the attribution of gang names was provided to this author by a community-of-interest informant.
- 3.
Hofstede et al. (2010) explain “individualism” (high IDV score) as the extent to which people choose to live with an emphasis on personal identity, while “collectivism” (low IDV score) refers to an emphasis on a group identity. The majority of the world's cultures are individualist in nature and exhibit a high IDV score. In collectivist cultures (low IDV), members tend to work as a group oftentimes to the point of suppressing their own ideas or suggestions in order to ensure in-group cooperation. Individual gains are subordinated to those that benefit the group as a whole.
- 4.
Hall (1976) developed use of the terms “low-context” and “high-context” to dichotomize different cultural emphases placed on the context surrounding one’s actions. Hofstede (1983) applied a similar dichotomy to cultures worldwide using the terms “individualist” and “collectivist” according to the primacy placed on the individual or the group collective.
- 5.
In four of seven Chicago sites, the introduction of CeaseFire-Chicago was found to be associated with “distinct and statistically significant” declines in actual and attempted shootings. These declines ranged from 17–24 % in contrast to other matched comparison areas (Skogan et al. 2008, p. 3).
References
Avruch, K., & Black, P. (1993). Conflict resolution and intercultural settings: Problems and prospects. In D. Sandale & H. Van der Merwe (Eds.), Conflict resolution theory and practice: Integration and application. New York: St. Martin's Press.
Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond culture. New York: Doubleday.
Haviland, W. A., Fedorak, S. A., & Lee, R. B. (2009). Cultural anthropology (3rd Canadian ed.). Toronto: Nelson.
Hofstede, G. (1983). Culture’s consequences: International differences in work-related values. Administrative Science Quarterly, 28(4), 625–629.
Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. S., & Minkow, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.
Skogan, W. G., Hartnett, S. M., Bump, N., & Dubois, J. (2008). Evaluation of CeaseFire-Chicago. Chicago: Northwestern University.
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Prowse, C.E. (2012). Culture in the Shadows. In: Defining Street Gangs in the 21st Century. SpringerBriefs in Criminology, vol 1. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4307-0_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4307-0_5
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