47 pages • 1-hour read
Renegade Dreams: Living Through Injury in Gangland Chicago
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Index of Terms
Nostalgia
Content warning: This section of the guide discusses gang-related violence, drug abuse, and police violence.
Renegade Dreams explores how nostalgia is not just a longing for the past but serves as a critical lens for community members. Nostalgia, in the text, often manifests in the reminiscence of a time when gangs like the Divine Knights were seen as political organizations with a positive impact on the community. This image contrasts with the current perception of the gang as a cause of violence and disorder. Laurence Ralph illustrates this point through the example of Mr. Otis, an old gang member who yearns for a perceived better past. However, nostalgia also serves as a distorted lens, which gets in the way of understanding the deeper social and historical challenges that the Eastwood community faces. Through the lens of nostalgia, Ralph portrays a community coping with change, loss, and the desire to reclaim and reinterpret aspects of its history in the face of modern challenges.
Structural Violence
Structural violence is a central concept in Renegade Dreams. Structural violence refers to the systematic ways in which society harms individuals or puts them in a situation of disadvantage. This kind of violence is evident in the pervasive poverty, unemployment, and inadequate housing that characterize Eastwood. Such conditions result not from individual failings but from broader societal and systemic factors. Ralph analyzes how structural violence manifests itself in the daily lives of the community, from the limited economic opportunities that push individuals toward illegal activities, to the way urban redevelopment and gentrification threaten to displace long-standing residents. Many of the residents of Eastwood bear the marks of violence on their bodies and are trapped in a circle of violence between the neighborhood and the justice system. Overall, the book illustrates how structural violence is not just a backdrop but an active force shaping the realities and choices of individuals in Eastwood.
Habitus
The concept of habitus, as defined by Pierre Bourdieu, refers to the patterns of behaviour and tendencies that individuals exhibit. These patterns and tendencies are informed by their experiences of institutions, social groups, or professions. Bourdieu considers how individuals are shaped by society and how their perceptions of the world change according to the habitus imposed by society. The term is widely employed in the fields of social studies, anthropology, critical theory, and ethnography.
In Eastwood, habitus is reflected in the way in which residents navigate and respond to their environment. As the community is marked by poverty, violence, and structural inequalities, the residents of Eastwood are shaped by these experiences and the broader socio-economic conditions of the neighborhood. The habitus influences the residents’ actions, choices, and aspirations. As Ralph illustrates through examples, the habitus also acts in a way that perpetuates their current circumstances. Ralph also reflects on the fact that his own formation as a student at the University of Chicago reflects a habitus that posits him as an outsider in relation to the residents of Eastwood.
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