From South Central to Southside: Gang Transnationalism, Masculinity, and Disorganized Violence in Belize City (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781439923344)

When he visited in 2011, sociologist Adam Baird wondered what the Bloods and Crips were doing in Southside Belize City. He soon discovered that migrant Belizean members of colors gangs from South Central Los Angeles were deported there in the 1980s. Once established "back home," membership in the Bloods and Crips was seen as an aspirational pathway to manhood for the urban underclass.

From South Central to Southside charts the genesis and evolution of a transnational gang culture. Baird provides firsthand interviews with gang members and "narco" families and explains the surprising source of Belize City's severe violence and skyrocketing homicide rates. He identifies gang violence in the U.S. and Belize as stemming from populations blighted by historical, brutal inequality and marginalization. Analyzing the gendered dynamics as young men and women face the temptations, risks, and dangers of gang life, Baird shines a light on "chronic vulnerability" in Belize City.

Author: Adam Baird
ISBN-10: 1439923345
ISBN-13: 9781439923344
Publisher: Temple University Press
Language: English
Published: 07/12/2024
Pages: 217
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.72lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.50d

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 06/21/2024 pg. 1
Choice 03/01/2025