![]() ![]() For example, one highly circulated review of Goffman’s book, alarmed at her white privilege, describes the study as “theft,” abetting “ fantasies of black pathology,” and possibly causing harm by revealing to police the tricks of hiding. And then there’s the exploitation/privilege/outsider argument, summarized by Claude Fischer (I added the links):Ī typical line of criticism charges that outsiders cannot accurately describe their subjects of study. On the other hand, the book has lots of critics - here’s James Forman in the Atlantic - who think Goffman’s research subjects aren’t representative of the poor Black communities she wants to describe. The New Yorker ’s Malcolm Gladwell called it “extraordinary,” and Christopher Jencks, in the New York Review of Books, predicted that it would “become an ethnographic classic.” Tim Newburn, a highly regarded criminologist at the London School of Economics, hailed On the Run as “gloriously readable” and “sociology at its best.” How unusual is it for a book based on a sociology dissertation to get this treatment?Ĭornel West endorsed it as “the best treatment I know of the wretched underside of neoliberal capitalist America.” Writing in the New York Times Book Review, Alex Kotlowitz said it was “a remarkable feat of reporting” with an “astonishing” level of detail and honesty. ![]() ![]() ![]() First a short overview, then my comments.Īlice Goffman’s book On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City, is one of the major events in sociology of the last few years. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |