scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
Journal ArticleDOI

The Texture of Hardship: Qualitative Sociology of Poverty, 1995–2005

06 Jul 2006-Review of Sociology (Annual Reviews)-Vol. 32, Iss: 1, pp 423-446
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors highlight the importance of qualitative research embedded in large-scale quantitative studies of poverty and suggest new directions for research that take into account the changing contours of poverty, including the increasing diversity of poor neighborhoods (reflecting the in-migration of the foreign born) and the growth of poverty in the older suburbs surrounding the city centers.
Abstract: Focusing on the past decade, this review considers advances in the qualitative study of working poverty, welfare reform, patterns of family formation, neighborhood effects, class-based patterns of childhood socialization, and the growing European literature on social exclusion. We highlight the increasing importance of qualitative research embedded in large-scale quantitative studies of poverty. Within each of these areas, we suggest new directions for research that take into account the changing contours of poverty, including the increasing diversity of poor neighborhoods (reflecting the in-migration of the foreign born) and the growth of poverty in the older suburbs surrounding the city centers. The reintroduction of the language of class has been a hallmark of the past decade, drawing it closer to some of the original concerns of sociologists in the 1940s, contrasted with a nearly universal emphasis on race and ethnicity characteristic of more recent decades.
Citations
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors assesses these strategies and argues that they fall short of their objectives, and presents two alternatives to curren-ture-based case studies, such as selecting respondents 'at random' for small, in-depth interview projects or identifying'representative' neighborhoods for ethnographic case studies.
Abstract: Today, ethnographers and qualitative researchers in fields such as urban poverty, immigration, and social inequality face an environment in which their work will be read, cited, and assessed by demographers, quantitative sociologists, and even economists. They also face a demand for case studies of poor, minority, or immigrant groups and neighborhoods that not only generate theory but also somehow speak to empirical conditions in other cases (not observed). Many have responded by incorporating elements of quantitative methods into their designs, such as selecting respondents `at random' for small, in-depth interview projects or identifying `representative' neighborhoods for ethnographic case studies, aiming to increase generalizability. This article assesses these strategies and argues that they fall short of their objectives. Recognizing the importance of the predicament underlying the strategies — to determine how case studies can speak empirically to other cases — it presents two alternatives to curren...

1,393 citations


Cites background from "The Texture of Hardship: Qualitativ..."

  • ...While important ethnographies in these fields continue to be published and highly cited (e.g. Duneier, 1999; Levitt, 2001; Pattillo, 1999; see Newman and Massengill, 2006), most articles in these fields published in the top generalist journals, such as American Journal of Sociology, the American…...

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Culture is back on the poverty research agenda as mentioned in this paper and sociologists, demographers, and even economists have begun asking questions about the role of culture in many aspects of poverty and even explicitly explaining the behavior of the low-income population in reference to cultural factors.
Abstract: Culture is back on the poverty research agenda. Over the past decade, sociologists, demographers, and even economists have begun asking questions about the role of culture in many aspects of poverty and even explicitly explaining the behavior of the low-income population in reference to cultural factors. An example is Prudence Carter (2005), who, based on interviews with poor minority students, argues that whether poor children will work hard at school depends in part on their cultural beliefs about the differences between minorities and the majority. Annette Lareau (2003), after studying poor, working-class, and middleclass families, argues that poor children may do worse over their lifetimes in part because their parents are more committed to “natural growth” than “concerted cultivation” as their cultural model for child rearing. Mario Small (2004), based on fieldwork in a Boston housing complex, argues that poor people may be reluctant to participate in beneficial community activities in part because of how they culturally perceive their neighborhoods. David Harding (2007, 2010), using survey and qualitative interview data on adolescents, argues that the sexual behavior of poor teenagers depends in part on the extent of cultural heterogeneity in their neighborhoods. Economists George Akerlof and Rachel Kranton (2002), relying on the work of other scholars, argue that whether students invest in schooling depends in part on their cultural identity, wherein payoffs will differ among “jocks,” “nerds,” and “burnouts.” And William Julius Wilson, in his latest book (2009a), argues that culture helps explain how poor African Americans respond to the structural conditions they experience.

516 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In the decade of 2000, two interrelated trends influenced research on America's families of color: the need for new knowledge about America's growing ethnic/racial minority and immigrant populations and conceptual advances in critical race theories and perspectives on colorism as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In the millennium's inaugural decade, 2 interrelated trends influenced research on America's families of color: the need for new knowledge about America's growing ethnic/racial minority and immigrant populations and conceptual advances in critical race theories and perspectives on colorism. Three substantive areas reflecting researchers' interests in these trends emerged as the most frequently studied topics about families of color: inequality and socioeconomic mobility within and across families, interracial romantic pairings, and the racial socialization of children. In this review, we synthesize and critique the decade's scholarly literature on these topics. We devote special attention to advances in knowledge made by family-relevant research that incorporated ways of thinking from critical race theories and the conceptual discourse on colorism.

309 citations


Cites background from "The Texture of Hardship: Qualitativ..."

  • ...…African American, Latino, Asian American, and White families poignantly illustrated how nuanced family processes and class differences within racial groups produced differential life course opportunities for social mobility and wealth accumulation (Lareau, 2003; Newman & Massengill, 2006)....

    [...]

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a critical review of recent research on the role of housing in children's development, including physical health; social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes; and schooling, achievement, and economic attainment.

242 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper argued that the shift from denunciation to the celebration of gentrification, the elision of the displacement of the established residents, and the euphemistic focus on social mixing partake of a broader pattern of invisibility of the working class in the public sphere and social inquiry.
Abstract: This article amplifies Tom Slater's diagnosis of the causes of the gentrification of recent gentrification research. It argues that the shift from the denunciation to the celebration of gentrification, the elision of the displacement of the established residents, and the euphemistic focus on ‘social mixing’ partake of a broader pattern of invisibility of the working class in the public sphere and social inquiry. This effacing of the proletariat in the city is reinforced by the growing heteronomy of urban research, as the latter becomes more tightly tethered to the concerns of city rulers. Both tendencies, in turn, reveal and abet the shifting role of the state from provider of social support for lower-income populations to supplier of business services and amenities for middle- and upper-class urbanites — among them the cleansing of the built environment and the streets from the physical and human detritus wrought by economic deregulation and welfare retrenchment. To build better models of the changing nexus of class and space in the neoliberal city, we need to relocate gentrification in a broader and sturdier analytic framework by revising class analysis to capture the (de)formation of the postindustrial proletariat, resisting the seductions of the prefabricated problematics of policy, and giving pride of place to the state as producer of sociospatial inequality.

212 citations

References
More filters
Book
01 Jan 1979
TL;DR: In this article, a social critic of the judgement of taste is presented, and a "vulgar" critic of 'pure' criticiques is proposed to counter this critique.
Abstract: Preface to the English-Language Edition Introduction Part 1: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste 1. The Aristocracy of Culture Part 2: The Economy of Practices 2. The Social Space and its Transformations 3. The Habitus and the Space of Life-Styles 4. The Dynamics of Fields Part 3: Class Tastes and Life-Styles 5. The Sense of Distinction 6. Cultural Good Will 7. The Choice of the Necessary 8. Culture and Politics Conclusion: Classes and Classifications Postscript: Towards a 'Vulgar' Critique of 'Pure' Critiques Appendices Notes Credits Index

23,806 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Wilson's "The Truly Disadvantaged" as mentioned in this paper was one of the sixteen best books of 1987 and won the 1988 C. Wright Mills Award of the Society for the Study of Social Problems.
Abstract: ""The Truly Disadvantaged" should spur critical thinking in many quarters about the causes and possible remedies for inner city poverty. As policy makers grapple with the problems of an enlarged underclass they--as well as community leaders and all concerned Americans of all races--would be advised to examine Mr. Wilson's incisive analysis."--Robert Greenstein, "New York Times Book Review" "'Must reading' for civil-rights leaders, leaders of advocacy organizations for the poor, and for elected officials in our major urban centers."--Bernard C. Watson, "Journal of Negro Education" "Required reading for anyone, presidential candidate or private citizen, who really wants to address the growing plight of the black urban underclass."--David J. Garrow, "Washington Post Book World" Selected by the editors of the "New York Times Book Review" as one of the sixteen best books of 1987. Winner of the 1988 C. Wright Mills Award of the Society for the Study of Social Problems.

7,278 citations

Book
01 Sep 2003
TL;DR: The power and limits of social class are explored in this paper, where the authors present a theory of Bourdieu's theory of the power of social structure and daily life in the organization of daily life.
Abstract: Acknowledgments 1. Concerted Cultivation and the Accomplishment of Natural Growth 2. Social Structure and Daily Life PART I. THE ORGANIZATION OF DAILY LIFE 3. A Hectic Pace of Concerted Cultivation: Garrett Tallinger 4. A Child's Pace: Tyrec Taylor 5. Children's Play Is for Children: Katie Brindle PART II. LANGUAGE USE 6. Developing a Child: Alexander Williams 7. Language as a Conduit of Social Life: Harold McAllister PART III. FAMILIES AND INSTITUTIONS 8. Concerted Cultivation in Organizational Spheres: Stacey Marshall 9. Effort Creates Misery: Melanie Handlon 10. Letting Educators Lead the Way: Wendy Driver 11. Beating with a Belt, Fearing "the School": Little Billy Yanelli 12. The Power and Limits of Social Class Appendix A. Methodology: Enduring Dilemmas in Fieldwork Appendix B. Theory: Understanding the Work of Pierre Bourdieu Appendix C. Supporting Tables Notes Bibliography Index

4,355 citations

Book
01 Jan 2001
TL;DR: Yang et al. as discussed by the authors conducted a longitudinal study of children of immigrants in San Diego and found that early adaptation and achievement was a predictor of educational achievement in the second generation.
Abstract: List of Tables and Figures Preface Acknowledgments 1. Twelve Stories Miami Stories MarIa de los Angeles and Yvette Santana: August 1993 Melanie Fernandez-Rey: September 1993 Aristide Maillol: August 1993 Armando and Luis Hern*ndez: July 1995 Mary Patterson: February 1995 EfrEn Montejo: May 1994 San Diego Stories Jorge, Olga, Miguel Angel, and Estela Cardozo: January 1994 Quy Nguyen: December 1987 Bennie and Jennifer Montoya: October 1995 Sophy Keng: November 1987 - June 1988 Yolanda and Carlos Munoz: March 1994 Boua Cha: 1988 - 1990 2. The New Americans: An Overview Immigration Yesterday and Today The Size and Concentration of the Second Generation Studying the New Second Generation: The Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study The New Second Generation at a Glance Census Results CILS Results 3. Not Everyone Is Chosen: Segmented Assimilation and Its Determinants How Immigrants Are Received: Modes of Incorporation and Their Consequences Acculturation and Role Reversal Where They Grow Up: Challenges to Second-Generation Adaptation Race Labor Markets Countercultures Confronting the Challenge: Immigrant Social Capital Parental Status, Family Structure, and Gender The Immigrant Community Conclusion 4. Making It in America Early Adaptation and Achievement General Trends Nationality and Achievement Determinants of Parental Economic Achievement Interaction Effects Nationality and Family Composition Conclusion 5. In Their Own Eyes: Immigrant Outlooks on America Aura Lila MarIn, Cuban, 53, Single Mother (1994) Pao Yang, Laotian Hmong, 57, Father (1995) Optimism Permissiveness Ambition Community and Pride Conclusion 6. Lost in Translation: Language and the New Second Generation Bilingualism: Yesterday and Today Shadow Boxing: Myth and Reality of Language Acculturation General Trends National Differences Forced-March Acculturation What Makes a Bilingual? A Game of Mirrors: Language Instruction and Types of Acculturation 7. Defining the Situation: The Ethnic Identities of Children of Immigrants Sites of Belonging: The Complex Allegiances of Children of Immigrants Developing a Self Past Research Who Am I? Patterns of Ethnic Self-Identification Ethnic Identity Shifts Stability and Salience Ethnic Self-Identities by National Origin Where Do I Come From? Nation, Family, and Identity Correlates of Self-Identities Family Status, Composition, and Language The Influence of Parental Self-Identities Region, Schools, and Discrimination The Race Question Determinants of Ethnic and Racial Identities Conclusion: From Translation Artists to Living Paradoxes 8. The Crucible Within: Family, Schools, and the Psychology of the Second Generation San Diego Families Family Cohesion, Conflict, and Change School Environments and Peer Groups Psychological Well-Being: Self-Esteem and Depressive Affect School Engagement and Effort Educational Expectations Determinants of Psychosocial Outcomes Self-Esteem and Depression Ambition Conclusion 9. School Achievement and Failure Early Educational Achievement Preliminary Results Determinants of Early Achievement Educational Achievement in Late Adolescence Grades in Senior High School Change over Time Dropping Out of School Two Achievement Paradoxes Southeast Asians Cuban Americans Conclusion 10. Conclusion: Mainstream Ideologies and the Long-Term Prospects of Immigrant Communities Two Mainstream Ideologies A Third Way: Selective Acculturation and Bilingualism The Mexican Case Theoretical Reprise Time and Acculturation Reactive Ethnicity and Its Aftermath Appendix A. Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study: Follow-up Questionnaire Appendix B. Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Study: Parental Questionnaire Appendix C. Variables Used in Multivariate Analyses: Chapters 6 to 9 Notes References Index

3,834 citations