El Barrio In El Barrio Summary

In the late 80's, an anthropologist by the name of Philippe Bourgois sought the answers to questions and theories that transpires in our minds and permeates through society. Subjects involving racial marginalization within inner city culture and the dynamics of the underground economy are examined through his participant-observation of El Barrio in East Harlem NYC. For several years, beginning in 1985 when he rented an apartment in Spanish Harlem, Philippe engaged in an ethnographic study of the street life in that haven. He befriended a Puerto Rican crack entrepreneur by the name of Ray and his subordinates Primo and Caesar. Learning street smarts was pivotal in gaining their trust. As a white man in El Barrio you were either an "undercover …show more content…
Instead of relying on quantitative data and census statistics, using participant observation helped in documenting individual actions in greater detail. His research is both quantitative and qualitative because he included data from the Census and prior research which was presented systematically. Of most importance was Philippe's ability to in a senze normalize the issues he spoke about. He fully immersed himself within that culture, not strictly as an anthropologist, but as a regular member of society. Primo's first thought of him was that he was a drug addict or homosexual but later on became "just a cool …show more content…
Many turned to crime in El Barrio as a result of peer pressure, family issues, and other situations that steered them to the underground economy of selling crack. Philippe showed this by examining the success of the Italian Americans and Mafia who ran the streets prior to the migration of the Puerto Ricans. that combined with the social restrictions put on those who live in the neighborhood gave way for youth to fall captive to this predictament. Cultural Reproduction is also a highly noted theory in which he uses. In regards to crack one boy said "everybody is doing it...it is impossible to keep away from it because it is practically thrown at you". The glorification of underground crime helps to "promote and encourage" the youth which is a recycling for future crime. Political economy comes the fore as well. Marx stated "the political economy regards the Proletarian...like a horse, he must receive enough to enable him to work. It does not consider him, during the time when he is not working, as a human being". This is exemplified in Philippe describing the background of the Puerto Rican Jibaros and how they along with other groups came to America (land of the free) to escape the poverty in their land only to land in even dire circumstances. The U.S. political agenda in Puerto Rico which causes the resistance of the