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The Urban Review

, Volume 47, Issue 3, pp 541–562 | Cite as

“You Have to Hold Your Own”: Investigating the Social Networks of a Diverse Group of Disenfranchised Urban Male Youth

  • Jennifer Esposito
  • Alison Happel
Article
First Online:

Abstract

This ethnographic case study investigates social networks and forms of social capital accessed by a group of five urban male youth (ages 15–19), from diverse racial backgrounds, who were disenfranchised economically. We refer to the youth as “disenfranchised” because they were disconnected from forms of institutional support, especially families and schools. Findings indicate that, in the absence of adult mediated social networks, youth create their own. The participants in this study banded together and create networks that offered financial support as well as education about life on the streets.

Keywords

Social networks Social capital Urban Case study 
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Educational Policy StudiesGeorgia State UniversityAtlantaUSA
  2. 2.Educational Psychology and ResearchUniversity of MemphisMemphisUSA

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