SHAPING THE INDIVIDUAL
In his book In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio, Phillipe Bourgois presents to us several characters which will help him observe life in East Harlem and to proceed with his study. The characters which will be brought forward in this essay, are Ray, Caesar, and Primo. Bourgeois lived for several years among Puerto Ricans in East Harlem in order to render his research accurate. By bonding with the individuals he meets through his research, they open up to him whereby allowing us to learn more about their ways of living and about what drives them and what causes them to act the ways in which they act. Through his work, Bourgeois attempts to illustrate life among Puerto Ricans and the ways in which their lives …show more content…
I will also point out some other cultural dynamics besides the tongue, which shapes one’s behaviour in society such as one’s clothing or hair style or simply how an individual behaves. Being from a different culture, Philippe has a different accent and way of behaving. When primo and his friend Benzie wonder whether he is bisexual or gay, the anthropologist questions that perception which they have of him: “So was it my accent? My voice? The way I move my body?” (Bourgois, 1995: 43). What is considered normal in Phillipe’s society makes him someone else in the eyes of those around him. He is in fact thankful for them not telling him that during his observation, for it he believes that it would have change his behaviour, thus tampering with his …show more content…
While some people might misinterpret the researcher presentation of violence in East Harlem, it was important for him to draw an accurate portrayal of the society and at the same time, by getting to know the characters who he encounters, he demonstrates that there is more than just violence, that “there is a sense of community in the neighbourhood despite the violence.” (Bourgois, 1995: 35). However, violence becomes an integral part of East Harlem. A comparison between his study in 1920 and later in 1990 describes the extent to which the individuals are exposed and the extent to which violence is normalised. Simply by pointing to a building one can tell its story by narrating what has happened there I terms of violence, that is, whether someone has been murdered there and how the event
In his book In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio, Phillipe Bourgois presents to us several characters which will help him observe life in East Harlem and to proceed with his study. The characters which will be brought forward in this essay, are Ray, Caesar, and Primo. Bourgeois lived for several years among Puerto Ricans in East Harlem in order to render his research accurate. By bonding with the individuals he meets through his research, they open up to him whereby allowing us to learn more about their ways of living and about what drives them and what causes them to act the ways in which they act. Through his work, Bourgeois attempts to illustrate life among Puerto Ricans and the ways in which their lives …show more content…
I will also point out some other cultural dynamics besides the tongue, which shapes one’s behaviour in society such as one’s clothing or hair style or simply how an individual behaves. Being from a different culture, Philippe has a different accent and way of behaving. When primo and his friend Benzie wonder whether he is bisexual or gay, the anthropologist questions that perception which they have of him: “So was it my accent? My voice? The way I move my body?” (Bourgois, 1995: 43). What is considered normal in Phillipe’s society makes him someone else in the eyes of those around him. He is in fact thankful for them not telling him that during his observation, for it he believes that it would have change his behaviour, thus tampering with his …show more content…
While some people might misinterpret the researcher presentation of violence in East Harlem, it was important for him to draw an accurate portrayal of the society and at the same time, by getting to know the characters who he encounters, he demonstrates that there is more than just violence, that “there is a sense of community in the neighbourhood despite the violence.” (Bourgois, 1995: 35). However, violence becomes an integral part of East Harlem. A comparison between his study in 1920 and later in 1990 describes the extent to which the individuals are exposed and the extent to which violence is normalised. Simply by pointing to a building one can tell its story by narrating what has happened there I terms of violence, that is, whether someone has been murdered there and how the event