![]() It seemed to me that Goffman had failed on both fronts, and I said so. And to be responsible, the ethnographer must draw a firm line between observation and criminality. But to be worthwhile, the stories must be accurate and reliable. I believe in the value of ethnography, and it is especially important to chronicle the lives of men and women who are otherwise marginalized and oppressed. What’s more, I was stunned to read of an incident in which Goffman claimed to have participated in a plot to kill a rival gang member.Ĭonsequently, I wrote a critical review of On the Run, pointing out these and other problems. Too many of the incidents seemed unlikely, based upon my own experience as a legal aid and criminal defense lawyer in similar neighborhoods. ![]() On the Run is the story of sociologist Alice Goffman’s six years of immersion in a struggling Philadelphia neighborhood, in which she tells the stories of the “routine stops, searches, raids, and beatings that young men navigate as they come of age.” The book was initially hailed as an ethnographic classic, but to me it raised red flags. ![]()
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