Post-industrial states and capitalism
• What is a post-industrial versus industrial state?
• What is a market economy? What is capitalism?
• What are the components of capitalism?
• What is the goal of capitalism? Why do we say that capitalism is based on unequal exchange?
• How are households typically organized?
• What cultural values accompany capitalism?
• What is a class system?
• What is the difference between social stratification in an agricultural state and an post-/industrial state?
• Is there a gendered division of labor in our own society?
Class and social stratification
• What is social stratification?
• In which types of societies do we see social stratification?
• What’s the difference between the US class system and India’s caste system?
• Review your notes from the film People Like Us.
Race and ethnicity
• What’s the difference between race, ethnicity, and skin color?
• What does it mean when we say that genetic variation is continuous and non-concordant?
• What are racialized expressions of biology?
• Why do we see differences in skin color?
• What does it mean when we say race does not biologically exist, yet it is still a social fact? How do we know that race is a social fact?
• What are the different types of ethnic groups that we discussed and what are examples of each?
• What’s the difference between a nationality and subnationality?
• Do most ethnic groups in the world have political autonomy?
• What are the three responses to ethnic conflict and what are examples of each?
• How do these different responses relate to the concepts of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism?
Sex and Gender
• What’s the difference between sex and gender?
• What are some examples of gender roles?
• How many sexes are there? Why is this a complicated question? Who are intersex individuals?
• How many genders are there?
• What are Two Spirit people?
• What’s the difference between thinking about gender, sex and sexuality in terms of continuums instead of binaries? Why are binary categories sometimes limiting or restrictive. (Think about examples in our society or from your own life.)
• What is “fag discourse,” what does it mean when used, and how does it function among adolescent boys?
• Review your notes from the film Switch.
In Search of Respect
• What is the author’s goal in writing this book? (Review the introduction)
• What is the culture of poverty argument and what is the author’s critique of this theory?
• What is cultural capital and how does it relate to this text?
• What solutions to the problems in El Barrio does the author imagine? (Review the conclusion)
• What is the underground economy?
• Who lives in El Barrio?
• Why does the author refer to the street culture as a “culture of resistance”?
• What are the author’s fears in writing In Search of Respect? Why does he include descriptions of violence?
• What does Bourgois mean by a “culture of terror”?
• Why does Bougois describe El Barrio’s relationship to surrounding neighborhoods of NYC as apartheid?
• How does Bourgois describe the residents of El Barrio?
• According to Bourgois, why do the characters in the book participate in the underground economy?
• What is cultural capital?
• How did Bourgois offend Ray and what does he learn about the characters’ cultural capital and the idea of respect in El Barrio?
• What is the relationship between law enforcement and the El Barrio community? How do the characters characterize local police?
• How does one gain respect in El Barrio?
• How is Bourgois treated in El Barrio?
• What efforts did the characters make to work in the legal economy? What was their experiences of applying for jobs, working in the FIRE sector, construction and other unskilled jobs, interacting their bosses, unions, etc.?
• What’s the history of El Barrio? Who has lived there? What have been the residents’ relationships to mainstream society? What has been their role in the economy?
• Why did Puerto Ricans migrate to the US? What happened in Puerto Rico to motivate people to migrate?
• How did Puerto Rican live in Puerto Rico? What were the ideal family arrangements? What were the gender roles in this context?
• What is a jibaro?
• What were the stereotypes of new immigrants to El Barrio?
• What is the management structure of the crackhouse?
• How does Ray use kinship in his business relations?
• How does the market affect the drug business? How does Ray manipulate labor relations in order make money when the market is competitive?
• How much does Primo make on average?
• What percentage of the drug money does Primo hand over to Ray?
• Why does Primo keep the “hangout crew” around him while working?
• How is Primo’s consumer behavior similar to and different from other workers in the legal economy?
• What are the work conditions like in the Game Room?
• What are some barriers to the characters getting jobs in the legal economy?
• What jobs did they grow up wanting? What happened to those opportunities?
• How do the characters respond to being disrespected in their work experiences?
• In what ways do the characters internalize their failures to get good jobs in the legal economy?
• Why did Primo stop caring about doing well in school? (Incident with Primo’s mom)
• What is cultural production theory?
• What are Primo’s experiences in Puerto Rico?
• What were Primo and Caesar’s experiences like in school?
• How and why have gender roles changed for males and females in Puerto Rican culture?
• How do males and females react to changing gender roles?
• How are women treated by men in the text?
• What motivates Candy to shoot her husband?
• How does Candy invert patriarchy?
• What difficulties does Candy have dealing with the state as she struggles to get welfare assistance?
• What are the reasons that Candy starts dealing drugs?
• How is Jackie’s rape described and understood by different characters and the author?
• Why do young women want to have children?
• Why are women demonized in the media during the crack epidemic? What is the author’s response to this?
• Why does becoming a father make men uncomfortable?
• How do women like Candy feel about their children?
• According to the author is the nuclear family the best family arrangement for struggling families in El Barrio? Why or why not?
• Why do men avoid their fathering responsibilities? How do structural forces contribute to men abandoning their families? What is the role of the underground economy and street culture provide an alternative route to men showing their masculinity?
• How do Puerto Ricans of different generations see gender roles and their roles as father differently?
• What are factors that have influenced changing gender roles?
• How does Bourgois explain (not justify) domestic and sexual violence in El Barrio?
• How do the men feel about their kids? What is the relationship between fathers and kids like in this community?
• How do women (Candy) feel about fathers who don’t support their children?