The Concentration of African-American Poverty and the Dispersal of the Working Class: An Ethnographic Study of Three Inner-city Areas

• Published in: International journal of urban and regional research 1999-12, Vol.23 (4), p.619-637
• Main Author: Sánchez-Jankowski, Martín
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: African Americans; Amerique; Bgi / Prodig; Black people; Central Cities; Detroit, Michigan; Etats-Unis; Ethnography; Geographic Distribution; Géographie humaine; Inner city; Los Angeles, California; Metropolitan areas; New York City, New York; Poor; Poverty; Residential Patterns; Residential Segregation; Social conditions & trends; U.S.A; United States; Urban Affairs; Urban Poverty; Working Class
• ISSN: 0309-1317; 1468-2427
• DOI: 10.1111/1468-2427.00219

For almost ten years there has been growing concern about the concentration of poverty among African‐Americans living in the inner cities of America’s metropolitan areas. Along with this concern a debate has emerged between Douglas Massey and co‐authors, and William Julius Wilson as to what the root cause of this concentration is, as well as its impact on the African‐American community. Most of the evidence directed toward answering these questions has come from the analysis of large data sets. With data from a five‐year ethnographic study of three inner‐city areas in Los Angeles, New York and Detroit, this paper presents evidence of how the dynamic associated with the increasing trend toward concentration gets worked out in everyday life. It demonstrates that the process of concentration is more complicated than simply the job loss explanation advanced by Wilson, or segregation effects argued by Massey et al. Further, it provides evidence that while social isolation does occur as a result of the concentration dynamic, it is the isolation from the working class (as opposed to the middle class) that has the most profound negative impact on the poor. Finally, the paper provides evidence that as social isolation has increased between the African‐American poor and the other social strata within the African‐American community, it has not precipitated generalized feelings of hopelessness among the poor as Wilson and Massey suggest. Depuis une dizaine d’années, la concentration de la pauvreté au sein des africains‐américains vivant dans le centre des villes des métropoles américaines est devenue un sujet d’inquiétude de plus en plus marqué. Un débat est apparu sur ce point entre Douglas Massey, ses co‐auteurs, et William Julius Wilson quant à la cause première de cette concentration et de son impact sur la communauté africain‐américaine. La plupart des preuves qui servent à répondre à ces questions proviennent de l’analyses de larges banques de données. Utilisant des données provenant d’une étude ethnographique de cinq ans sur trois quartiers de centre‐ville à Los Angelès, New York et Détroit, cet article apporte des éléments de preuve qui montrent comment la dynamique associée à la tendance croissante à la concentration fonctionne dans la vie de tous les jours. Il démontre que le processus de concentration est plus compliqué que la simple explication de la perte de travail avancé par Wilson ou les effets de la ségrégation suggérés par Massey et al. De sucroît, l