This book describes the results of over two years in the field conducting ethnographic research on youth gangs in an English city.


It traces the emergence and evolution of street gangs in various areas of the city, with a particular focus on the features of these groups (including ethnicity and the role of women), the role of violence and territoriality in their dynamics and processes of identity formation, as well as the role of drug selling and other earning activities. The life courses of gang-involved individuals are also examined, as well as community responses to these gangs.


This book fills a gap in the literature by critically assessing the 'problem' of youth gangs in the UK context: for academics, for empirical researchers, for politicians, for policy makers, for practitioners and for community members. This book examines the political and economic context of the street gang phenomenon in the UK, and in doing so, addresses key theoretical and substantive issues facing sociologists and criminologists today.