Unwanted

Reviews / Votes

This is one of the most exciting and original ethnographic studies on drug dealing I have read in a long time. It is the German counterpart of classical American studies as Philip Bourgois' In Search of Respect or Elijah Anderson's Code of the Street. The setting is not an American ghetto but a Frankfurt neighborhood in an advanced German welfare state. Bucerius has drawn on her extensive fieldwork in the neighborhood of Bockenheim to present an ethnography that explains the lifestyles and social exclusion of a group of second generation immigrants with a Muslim background that are involved in drug dealing. Her enduring fieldwork in a combination with her theoretical lenses based on Pierre Bourdieu, Mary Douglas and Max Weber offer an explanation why these young men choose to become drug dealers. It is a stunning achievement written with civic involvement, as well with academic detachment and humor. * Godfried Engbersen, Professor of Sociology, Erasmus University Rotterdam * In the tradition of the best urban ethnographies, Unwanted provides an insightful look at the lives of second generation Muslim immigrant young men involved in Frankfurt's drug economy. Sandra Bucerius deftly navigates structure, culture, and agency, grappling with how macro-level forces in German society impact the lives of young men she describes as 'perpetual foreigners,' and how their identity work constructs meaning in the face of marginalization and crime involvement. Unwanted illuminates unique features of the German context, while offering larger lessons for scholars who seek to better understand social exclusion and its impacts. It is an important and timely contribution. * Jody Miller, Professor of Criminal Justice, Rutgers University *