BOOK REVIEW

GANG LEADER FOR A DAY

[A Rogue Sociologist Crosses the Line]

AN ASSIGNMENT PAPER

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree

of

MA in Globalisation and Labour

By

ANIL KUMAR

(2010GL002)

Submitted to

Dr. VARSHA AYYAR

Associate Professor,

CENTRE FOR LABOUR STUDIES

SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AND LABOUR STUDIES

TATA INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, MUMBAI

7 FERBUARY 2011
 Book Review
GANG LEADER FOR A DAY: A Rogue Sociologist Crosses the Line

Author: Sudhir Venkatesh

Language: English
Publisher: The Penguin Group(by Allen Lane), UK
Publishing Date: January 2008
ISBN: 978-0-713-99994-5
Format: Paperback
Pages: 302
Price: Rs 437

Sudhir Venkatesh, a callow sociology student with a ponytail and tie-dyed T-shirt in 1989,
wanted that sociological research should be based on real field experience which many
sociologists fail to do it. So this book, which Venkatesh wrote and published in 2008.
Venkatesh tried to bridge the gap between sociology and research. This can only happen
through ethnography point of view. The story started when he walked into one of Chicago’s
toughest housing projects, clipboard in hand, ready to ask residents about their lives.
Actually, He wanted to write about poor people. So, as a researcher he met Prof. Wilson who
sent him into the field to visit Chicago’s poorest black neighbourhoods surrounding
University. Afterwards, He did a survey on poverty in the projects (the infamous Robert
Taylor Homes in South-side Chicago) in 1989. In this regard, He made several questions in
his questionnaire and ask the first question, "how does it feel to be black and poor?”. (i) Very
bad, (ii) Bad, (iii) Neither bad nor good, (iv) Somewhat good, and (v) Very good. The person
he first enquired given very rough answer like that everybody laughed and somebody got
angry there. Meanwhile J.T., who was a gang leader in that housing project, met him and
advised to be with the blacks if he really wanted to know about them. It was the major
milestone from where ethnographer journey started. Now, Venkatesh started came everyday
to enquire about black. People started knowing him this is a trust building for Venkatesh.
During these days he met J.T. several times. Both tried to know each other J.T. also started
tossing questions and tardily and steadily they became friend for next six years.
Consequently, J.T. imposed some conditions which were not to meet gang of other housing
society. Even after Venkatesh wanted to go other community, some time he was warned by
J.T. gang. Venkatesh was regular visitor in that community. So, community members feel
that he is not a member of gang and then the trust build by Venkatesh helped him to get more
information about gang activity. One day, Venkatesh was on street and he saw one unknown
person hand over drugs to J.T. gang member and J.T. paid the money somewhere else for that
drugs. Then Venkatesh said to J.T., it is very easy task to run the gang in the city. Suddenly,
J.T. Challenged to Venkatesh to do it for one day. Afterwards, then Venkatesh realizes that
even taking risk to being gang member is not an easy task even though Venkatesh think for
that task.

Many new persons started becoming Venkatesh friend in his locality. Community members
now considered him as gentleman. One day, Venkatesh met to some floozies and interacted
with them so they shared their personal matter to Venkatesh. They told that they are able to
fetch some extra bucks after paying taxes to gang president Ms. Bailey. Venkatesh had not
idea that sharing of that talk with J.T. will make bad impact on floozies. Now J.T. became
started charged more tax for hiding money. So, J.T. was promoted by one more level in same
gang and relation between J.T. and Venkatesh was now not same as before. It created
problem for Venkatesh because relation with J.T. as well as community was not good and
FBI also started breakdown this gang and Venkatesh became a suspicious person as he was
very close with gang. Other important concern, Venkatesh was emotionally attached with
community so it was not easy to quit this job for him. Even though he decided to leave the
gang but keep coming occasionally could not possible to know about the community. After
some time Venkatesh got fellowship and he decided to move. J.T. also realized that he could
be caught any day but it is not easy task to quit the job when he was very much engaged in
the gang activity even though he somehow manage to leave the gang job and started his own
business.

Eruditions from the book

As student of MA in Globalisation and Labour, which is a research based scholarly program

mainly associated the study about informal economy and it labour society, with research
methodology subject have to learn about both qualitative technique as well as quantitative
technique which is more useful for collection of primary data, actual data and facts about
particular research area. Ethnography study is part of this qualitative technique and it helps us
to understand ways to know the behavior of particular society and in collection of required
data. Since as ethnographer, most of us will go to take intervention in those areas which are
still unknown for us. Hence, we will be outsider there. So, first we need to know what that
area is all about, what type of people belongs to that field, what type of culture and religion
they follow etc. Then only we can know what type of intervention we have to take, what are
their basic problems, my decision which should not left negative impact on them. Until or
unless we don’t know about them in depth we could not take proper decision. Ethnography
study is not easy and fast going task. it takes a lot of time then the things come out slowly and
steadily. Even this kind of job creates danger when we go as outsider in particular human
society.

In this book, Venkatesh was also an unknown about the gang because initially he was
outsider in particular housing society, and it was not easy to collect the required data for him
as outsider. After entering in gang, he realized the thing which looks easy is actually not easy
to work in the gang.