In Search of Respect Terms

The neighborhood where Philippe Bourgois lived and conducted his research for In Search of Respect in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Located in Upper Manhattan, East Harlem (called “El Barrio” by many of its… read analysis of East Harlem (El Barrio)

Anthropology’s principal method, a form of long-term intensive qualitative research in a particular place, among a particular group of people. The kind of writing produced out of ethnographic research (like Bourgois’s book) is also… read analysis of Ethnography

A building, residence, or storefront where crack is sold and used. Bourgois lives near and studies two that Ray owns: the Game Room, on his block, and the nearby La Farmacia. read analysis of Crackhouse

A smokable form of cocaine, often heavily diluted or adulterated with other substances, that is cheaper because of its low cocaine content but stronger and shorter-lasting because it is smoked rather than snorted. Crack arrives… read analysis of Crack

An opioid drug commonly used recreationally, which can lead to severe addiction, especially among those who inject it. Primo and Caesar frequently snort powdered heroin, often as speedball in combination with powder cocaine. In… read analysis of Heroin

A smokable drug derived from the cannabis plant that is much more pervasive, but much less dangerous and addictive, than cocaine, crack, or heroin. Although it is now legal and regulated in… read analysis of Marijuana

A combination of powder cocaine and heroin, usually snorted or injected, that merges the cocaine’s strong stimulant effect with the heroin’s strong depressant effect. Because it combines these opposite effects, speedball can be particularly… read analysis of Speedball

The off-the-books work, markets, and economic practices through which many East Harlem residents make a living. In fact, such work is the only way for them to do so, since most would not be able… read analysis of The Underground Economy

The distinct “beliefs, symbols, modes of interaction, values, and ideologies” of inner-city residents that emerge in opposition to, and as an alternative to, the mainstream culture that excludes people like Nuyoricans in East Harlem… read analysis of Street Culture

In the social sciences, a now-unpopular theoretical approach that tries to explain social and cultural phenomena in terms of predictable, underlying laws, and fundamentally believes that objective, often quantitative data can be used to uncover… read analysis of Positivism

A term commonly used in anthropology to describe literary, artistic, or scholarly work that sensationalizes violence, thereby exploiting the people it depicts for the sake of its audience’s enjoyment. In his Introduction, Philippe Bourgois struggles… read analysis of Pornography of Violence

A term that, while literally referring to the core of an urban area, in the United States is usually a euphemism for a low-income urban area occupied primarily by people of color (especially African American… read analysis of Inner City

A low-level crackhouse employee who is responsible for watching out for police and potentially violent customers or situations. At the Game Room, most of the lookouts Primo hires are crack addicts whom he knows… read analysis of Lookout

A portmanteau combining the words “New York” and “Puerto Rican,” which refers to the large community of Puerto Rican-descended people who live or have roots in New York City. Most of the people Bourgois studies… read analysis of Nuyorican

A sociological term for the knowledge, habits, and style that are considered valuable and associated with the upper-middle and upper classes in Western societies—and therefore with people’s ability to join these classes. According to Bourgois… read analysis of Cultural Capital

An illicit, secret, or unlicensed bar. These were common during alcohol Prohibition in the United States, and the Game Room used to be one. read analysis of Speakeasy

The crackhouse on Philippe Bourgois’s block in East Harlem, and the primary site where he conducts his research on the crack trade. Ray owns the Game Room, but Primo runs it and employs Caesar… read analysis of The Game Room

Ray’s other, more profitable crackhouse, besides the Game Room. La Farmacia’s name is Spanish for “the pharmacy,” as it really is a one-stop-shop for any imaginable kind of drug. Located in the… read analysis of La Farmacia

A Spanish word with many meanings that, in New York, specifically refers to a corner grocery store that sells simple food and household items, as well as (in El Barrio) drug paraphernalia. read analysis of Bodega

An acronym for Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate, the industries that take over New York’s economy after the decline of the manufacturing industry. As the parents of most of Bourgois’s Nuyorican subjects worked manufacturing… read analysis of FIRE Sector

Spanish for “attack of nerves,” a term for a sudden emotional outburst common among El Barrio women. As a gendered, culturally bound term, “ataque de nervios” signifies that retaliation against an abusive partner or unfulfilling… read analysis of Ataque de Nervios