The Iconic Ghetto

Elijah Anderson

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 2012, vol. 642, issue 1, 8-24

Abstract: In the minds of many Americans, the ghetto is where “the black people live,†symbolizing an impoverished, crime-prone, drug-infested, and violent area of the city. Aided by the mass media and popular culture, this image of the ghetto has achieved an iconic status, and serves as a powerful source of stereotype, prejudice, and discrimination. The history of racism in America, along with the ascription of “ghetto†to anonymous blacks, has burdened blacks with a negative presumption they must disprove before they can establish mutually trusting relationships with others. The poorest blacks occupy a caste-like status, and for the black middle class, contradictions and dilemmas of status are common, underscoring the racial divide and exacerbating racial tensions.

Keywords: black ghetto; race; race relations; urban ethnography; urban sociology; master status; provisional status (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:anname:v:642:y:2012:i:1:p:8-24

DOI: 10.1177/0002716212446299

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