Ethnographic Research in Relation to Street Gangs - Term Paper Example

 Ethnographic Research in Relation to Street Gangs Introduction Ethnographic research is a research method which is used to carry out in-depth researches about humans, cultures, and societies. The main purpose of choosing this type of research method is to obtain information and analysis by understanding the culture and societies of people. Ethnography is a method which includes a lot of fieldwork and is considered the best method of qualitative data and thus used majorly in sociology. Culture criminology, on the other hand, is an approach which studies crime methodologically and theoretically. The approach is to understand the reasons and consequences of crime and deviance in regard to the culture1. Crimes are closely shaped by the cultures and thus ethnographical research methods are the best to study crime and deviance. Ethnographical research methods are more commonly used to gather qualitative data about street crimes or street gangs which have become a major subject of attention recently. Younger boys and girls in societies are engaged in street crimes or gangs according to the recent studies. However, many of these studies hold a generalized view of the street gangs instead of focusing on the specific cultures and societies that actually lead to these crimes. Ethnographical research is the best method applied to study street gangs and make conclusions based on qualitative data2. This paper will talk about the ethnographic method, the way it is used for street crimes and gangs, and the strengths and limitations associated with this research method. Ethnographic researches are descriptive and interpretive. The details collected through this method are in detail and interpretable as the ethnographer significantly determines the observations without the collection of tough statistical information. Ethnographers may commonly be called fieldworkers as they live with people to study them and observe them for a considerable period of time. Ethnographers engage in observations and participate in the daily activities and lifestyles of the group of people. They make careful observations and understand the culture in which the group is living. They find out the observations which are the perspectives of the members of the group instead of the perspectives of people outside the group. These two perspectives differ greatly and these differences are used to analyze and make conclusions about the specific aspect. Criminology is an interdisciplinary research field which is not fully reflected by quantitative data just like other sociological disciplines. Criminological research is mainly done through qualitative methods which have been developed in sociology and advanced methods are used nowadays including ethnographic research3. In order to study street crimes and gangs, it is important to carry out ethnographic researches as they look into the reasons, practices, lifestyles, and other important perspectives about the members of these gangs. These gangs may have different practices and perspectives in regard to their cultures. These differences and specifications are concluded through the ethnographic research methods4. The society and general statistics have shown consistently that young people are becoming the part of street gangs and committing street crimes through violence and other activities. These young people are living in communities in which they go through different and unusual experiences leading them into offensive activities and forming street gangs5. Criminologists are recently facing troubles in studying these young offenders and thus broader ways must be used to understand the communities and societies where these young people live and experience harsh realities of life6. Ethnographers use these methodological approaches to live in communities where these young gangs are formed and offer observations on these societies where child poverty, social exclusion, and urban degeneration play major roles in the formation of street gangs7. Ethnographic research is still a minority tradition in the field of criminology because it is not widely accepted by researchers. Ethnographic research in studying street gangs has many benefits but at the same time there are many limitations involved with the research method. However there are some studies which have been done through ethnographic method in criminology including ‘A Glasgow Gang Observed’ (1973) and ‘A View from the Boys’ (1974). These works may have ethical dilemmas when they are presented in universities, but it is undeniable that these studies have been highly important in the study of criminology. It gave criminologists the opportunity to know the other side of the picture by conducting participative observations of street gangs and understanding the sociological, cultural, and psychological aspects. These ethnographic studies have generated detailed and in-depth data about the realities of life in street gang members’ lives and their insight into crime. Such detailed information would be impossible to find out through any other research methods. However, as much as there are benefits to using this research method, there are risks and limitations involved as well. Especially when dealing with the observations and study of street gangs, researchers must imply careful considerations before carrying out the research process. Street gangs are often dangerous and violent groups of youngsters who can be unpredictable and outrageous if they get to know they are being observed and studied. There are a number of moral, ethical, and political considerations which are associated with the fact that the social distance between the researchers and the street gang members is reduced. These street gang communities may be entirely different from the worlds of researchers who live in ethical communities. If the research is successful, the observations will lead to explanations of why young people involve in street gangs, what they think about crime, and how they can be deviant. Criminology can never be researched through a tidy process as it involved dealing with criminals and the messy realities. Ethnographic research gives researchers severe ethical dilemmas to deal with as they have to come out of the neat houses and enter the dark corners of the society8. They are exposed to the street lives and the brutal realities of these gangs’ lives. These are the basic reasons why ethnographic researches are considered to be highly risky and involving ethical dilemmas than any other method. It is a dangerous combination of legality and illegality, professional danger, pleasure, and fear. A lot of physical danger is presented to the researchers and the gang members may be likely to cause harm. Undeniably, ethnographic research was the best method of research for street gangs9. In order to adopt an ethical position for the most effective research method for street gangs, there are certain ethical guidelines that have been imposed by professional bodies. These guidelines are issued by Britain by the British Society of Criminology (BSC) and National Youth Agency (NYA) to ensure that research is carried out within the ethical parameters. These guidelines have been highly criticized as limiting the research process and not covering the unexpected issues that may arise during the process. However, despite these criticisms, the professional code of ethics is adopted and considered beneficial for researchers to carry out their work10. Ethnographic research has benefits that are over and above all quantitative methods of research as those methods have rather generalized results unlike ethnographic research. The quantitative research methods have a wider scope and are unable to reach the depth and details of the ethnographic research. Quantitative researches may be limited to specific countries or samples11. Ethnographic research helps in identifying the activities of the street gangs in the rapidly changing and developing countries of Europe. These specific results help the criminologists to deal with the gang situations of every country separately. The reasons and causes of street gang formations in every culture or society will be different and ethnographic research helps criminologists to find those different aspects which would be dealt differently too12. Understanding specific street gang groups, their characteristics, and their culture will enable comparisons to take place among different street gangs of different countries or cultures. Quantitative methods are used to analyze assumptions and findings on the case studies of street gangs which are generalized. For instance, ethnographic research is used to assess the detailed finding that girls are more involved in street gangs in the United States. The generalized view does not tell us that girls’ involvement in street gangs is much higher and intense in U.S. but not in Europe13. An ethnographic research was carried out for Latino street gangs in California, Los Angeles. The purpose was to find out the literature and data about the Latino street gangs and locate strategies through those conclusions in order to prevent the youths at risk. The research method included a process of interviewing which consisted of over 1200 youngsters who were involved in street gangs and even those who were not associated with gangs. These two groups of youngsters however belonged to the same socio-economic places and were between 14-24 years old. Through these interviews, researches would examine the experiences of these young people in schools from Kindergarten to the primary classes. It would also assess the relationships that these young people had and have with their parents and what do they think of the gangs that they have joined and why they have joined them. Through this method, researchers are going to discover the turning points where there is need for intervention. Data will be collected and examined in order to recognize the problems, causes, and solutions of the street gang problems in Los Angeles14. Ethnographic research tends to provide a detailed analysis about the problem and in the case of street gangs, there has been a time when ethnographic research actually concluded some positive aspects of these gangs as well. It was as a result of the ethnographic research that researchers were able to understand not only the problems or solutions for the gangs but also their positive impacts on their communities. The American Journal of Sociology and Signs has mentioned the ethnographic research report that was conducted in Chicago. It was found out that street gangs consist of a bunch of loyal members who punish those members who act irresponsibly and also beat up domestic abusers15. The urban sociologist, Sudhir Venkatesh who carried out this ethnographic research says in his report that street gangs are only recognized due to their internal characteristics but they are never viewed in a larger context. There are certain functions that these street gangs play which include giving loans from gang leaders or their escort services. Throughout the research process, there were no questions based on quantitative surveys but rather these young gang members were allowed to speak about their lives and feelings of living as the black youth of Chicago. The ethnographic research on these street gangs and their communities lasted for a period of four years. The researcher says that these young members were keen to educate him about their community and identify them as valuable members in the society16. The reason why these poor street gangs acted violently and criminally was due to the social pressures and problems that had caught them up. Recession caused these gangs to engage in underground economies and involve in drug dealing and distribution. However, the researcher concludes that these street gangs are not a social abnormality in the society; rather they are a phenomenon shaped in the youth of America with aspirations that youths across the globe may have in that age17. When these gangs are excluded from the society, they start feeling alienated and act in violent ways to achieve their desires and recognition. Even though this research shows a different aspect of street gangs; clearly it shows the power of ethnographic research18. This research method helps greatly in understanding the problem, the lives, and reasons why youths involve in street gangs and how they can be prevented and saved19. Thus, ethnographic research method has many benefits such as a clear understanding of the street gangs, their psychology, their feelings, their lives, and their bitter truths of life. Ethnographic research allows the researcher to live with the street gangs and understand them to solve their problems20. In criminology, ethnographic research comes with many risks and ethical dilemmas because it is dealing with two entirely opposite sides; illegality and legality. Ethical guidelines must be followed and research should be carried out to help in criminology. However, ethnographic research is still not widely used in criminology but it must be adopted widely in the future. References Angrosino, M. Doing Ethnographic and Observational Research. UK: SAGE, 2007, p. 66 Bartusch, D. Juveline Delinquency: An Integrated Approach. USA: Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2011, p. 38 Covey, H. Street Gangs Throughout the World. USA: Charles C Thomas Publisher, 2010, p. 52 Decker, S. European Street Gangs and Troublesome Youth Groups. USA: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005, p. 308 Densley, J. How Gangs Work: An Ethnography of Youth Violence. UK: Palgrave McMillan, 2013, p. 34 Ferrell, J. & Morrison, W. Cultural Criminology Unleashed. London: Glasshouse, 2004, p. 74 Ferrell, J. & Sanders, C. Cultural Criminology. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1995, p.17 Ferrell, J. Crime and Culture In Criminology. UK: Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 86 Goode, J. Street Ethnography: Selected Studies of Crime and Drug Use in Natural Settings By Robert S. Weppner. USA: John Wiley & Sons, 1979, p. 208 Hamm, M. Ethnography at the Edge. Texas: Northeastern University Press, 1998, p. 53 Hayward, K. & Presdee, M. Framing Crime: Cultural Criminology and the Media. London: Routledge, 2010, p. 43 Hayward, K. & Young, J. Cultural Criminology: An Invitation. London: SAGE, 2008, p. 65 Hayward, K. & Young, J. The Oxford Handbook of Criminology. UK: Oxford University Press, 2012, p. 33 King, R. Doing Research on Crime and Justice. UK: Oxford University Press, 2008. P. 297 Meuser, M. Introduction: Qualitative research in Criminology. Berlin: Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 2002, p. 24 Miller, M. 21st Century Criminology: A Reference Handbook. USA: SAGE, 2009, p. 407 Noaks, L. Criminological Research: Understanding Qualitative Methods. UK: SAGE, 2004, p. 154 Peterson, D. Street Gangs, Migration Ethnicity. NY: Routledge, 2013, p. 22 Presdee, M. Cultural Criminology and the Carnival of Crime. London: Routledge, 2000, p. 77 Rubin, A. Essential Research Methods for Social Work. NY: Cengage Learning, 2009, p. 218 Read More