The Street Casino - 9781447317173

The Street CasinoSurvival in Violent Street Gangs\nAuthor(s): Simon Harding\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Bristol University Press, United Kingdom\nImprint: Policy Press\nISBN-13: 9781447317173, 978-1447317173\nSynopsis\nGang violence is on the increase in certain neighbourhoods. There is an urgent need for a fresh perspective that offers insight into gang structure, organisation and offending behaviour to explain this increase.\n\nUsing the findings from an extensive ethnographic study of local residents, professionals and gang members in south London, and drawing on his vast experience and knowledge of the field, Simon Harding proposes a unique theoretical perspective on survival in violent street gangs. He applies Bourdieus principles of social field analysis and habitus to gangs, establishing them as a social arena of competition where actors struggle for distinction and survival, striving to become players in the game in the casino of life. Success is determined by accruing and .