Philippe Bourgois’ In Search of Respect chronicles the lives of the denizens of Spanish Harlem, New York City's notorious Latin neighborhood. In the book, Bourgois discusses the idea of institutionalized racism, or Apartheid, on the streets of El Barrio--using it to illustrate that segregation exists within the borders of the United States. He argues that in the inner cities of America this type of economic racism pervades and extends beyond race to include gender as well, and is intentionally enforced to maintain power structures and organizations that include but are not limited to: gangs, drug dealing operations, etc.
The Effects of Segregation
Bourgois encounters the effects of Apartheid in his attempts to break into the crack dealing underworld of El Barrio. He discovers that his biggest obstacle is not “[his] conspicuous profile as a potential undercover narcotics agent…but, rather, [his] white drug addict profile…” He states explicitly that he has little success with convincing the police that he is an undercover officer, initially leading him to be profiled as the stereotypical white junkie. This "white scum" distinction causes dealers to ignore him, and the police to harass him for being in the wrong neighborhood.
This illustrates the racial divides between Whites and Latinos. Bourgois traces the extent of this “apartheid” mentality beyond just the boundaries of race itself. In fact it is a nearly universal standard upheld by those of higher socio-economic status. Bourgois describes it as “a racist common sense that persuades whites, and middle-class outsiders of all colors, that it is too dangerous for them to venture into poor African-American or Latino neighborhoods."
Beyond Racism
Such commonly held prejudices extend beyond the boundaries of race. The image of the welfare queen has become common in society. A welfare queen is a woman who is accused of collecting a fraudulent amount of welfare. A stereotype often associated with minority women, the 'Welfare Queen' is assailed with uncontrollable sexuality and laziness. These stereotypes, often play out in the gender relations of El Barrio itself.
In fact this idea of uncontrollable sexuality is most damaging to women because it leads to further objectification by men. Many times this leads to grotesque displays of male power over women in the form of gang rapes. These rapes are justified by the idea that the women actually enjoy them because of their inherently promiscuous nature. Other forms of domestic abuse occur as well.
Gender Wars
Yet El Barrio is experiencing rapid gender polarization. As the patriarchy begins to collapse, as women begin to adapt themselves to roles traditionally filled by men, there has been violence on all sides. As Bourgois points out, “…the male head of houself who, in the worst case scenarios, has become an impotent, economic failure experiences…a dramatic assault on his sense of masculine dignity." Thus violence by men is met with violence by women.
Bourgois uses the story of Candy, a woman who shoots her cheating husband Felix as an example of the inversion of traditional gender roles. The shooting becomes “the traditional outburst of a jealous woman who was uncontrollably romantically in love with an unfaithful man." Candy’s violent reaction is an attempt to hold on to the tearing fabric of her household--not an act of liberation from violence, but a reaffirmation of traditional roles within society, albeit subverted by poverty.
Ending Segregation
The problems of El Barrio are far-ranging, and can hardly be summed up in a paragraph, a page, or even a book. They range from rampant drug abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, illiteracy, lack of education, unemployment, underage pregnancy, etc. The main root of these problems comes from the economic poverty foisted upon the inner city by segregation, both socio-economic and racial. In order to find solutions to such a pandemic, people cannot simply focus on drugs, which in the past has been a popular public enemy. In order to move people away from the lucrative “street economy” of El Barrio, Bourgois says, “the economic dynamism of the drug economy must be reduced, and the fragility and hostility of the entry level legal labor market needs to be transformed." This of course makes sense, as it attacks two main social barriers, the economic, and the racial. Ultimately, the only way to solve the problem of the inner city is ensure equality on every socio-political front.
Source:
Philippe Bourgois, In Search of Respect. Cambridge University Press 1996.
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