Amazon.com: Dangerous Strangers: Minority Newcomers and Criminal Violence in the Urban West, 1850-2000 (9781403969781): Kevin J. Mullen: Books

"Kevin Mullen uses his meticulous reconstruction of San Francisco homicides and his broad knowledge of the history of American violence to tackle two big questions: Why were some eras and communities more deadly than others? And what did the cultures of urban immigrants have to do with the fluctuating levels of violence? In Dangerous Strangers, Mullen delivers forceful and insightful answers to both questions."--David Courtwright, author of Violent Land

"Ex-cop Kevin J. Mullen investigates 150 years of lethal mayhem in San Francisco, and what he uncovers in the history of the city's successive newcomers--Australian, Latino, Irish, Asian, Italian, African American--will no doubt prove as controversial as it is illuminating. Rigorously grounded and thoughtfully nuanced, Dangerous Strangers elevates the issue of urban homicide rates among America's immigrant subcultures to a new level of discourse."--Robert R. Dykstra, SUNY Albany

Product Description

Have newcomers to American cities been responsible for a disproportionate amount of violent crime? Dangerous Strangers takes up this question by examining the incidence of criminal violence among several waves of immigrant/ethnic groups in San Francisco over 150 years. By looking at a variety of groups--Irish, German, Italian, and Chinese immigrants, primarily--and their different experiences at varying times in the city's history, this study addresses the issue of how much violence can be attributed to new groups' treatment by the host society and how much can be traced to traits found in their community of origin. Dangerous Strangers fills an acknowledged gap in the literature of homicide studies and broadens our understanding of newcomer violence.

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Product Details

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan (July 28, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1403969787
ISBN-13: 978-1403969781
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,692,877 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!

Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
minority newcomers, drunken dispute, annual homicide rate, homicide studies, criminal violence, tong war, homicide rates, black homicide, criminal homicide, gang killings, popular tribunals

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
San Francisco, Gold Rush, African American, New York, United States, San Franciscans, Roger Lane, North Beach, San Quentin, Eric Monkkonen, Great Migration, World War, Black Hand, Chief of Police, Dupont Street, Los Angeles, Chung Ching Yee, Civil War, Hong Kong, Hunters Point, Portsmouth Square, Benjamin Franklin, Captain Douglass, Pacific Street, Sun Choy

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for academics, teachers, and for fun, October 10, 2005

By	Social Scientist - See all my reviews

Kevin Mullen's "Dangerous Strangers" is a wonderful contribution to the field of criminology and violence studies. The book offers academics a new set of data and interpretations concerning the role that ethnicity plays on patterns of interpersonal violence. The author contrasts "structural" explanations with "cultural" explanations in an attempt to evaluate the relative importance of such social forces. Although many criminologists favor structural views and are wary to consider the role of culture (especially concerning ethnicity), Mullen provides strong support for the cultural thesis. For readers less familiar with this academic debate, first recognize that most homicides involve interpersonal disputes over money, romantic relationships, or other squabbles. Structural theorists think that non-cultural forces such as discrimination, unemployment and poverty lead to more frustration among individuals, and this in turn leads to violent forms of dispute resolution. Cultural theorists agree with this, but highlight that different populations have different cultural rules and values about how disputes should be resolved. In some societies, individuals can actually be punished by their peers for not acting aggressively to react to insults or to resolve disputes. Mullen does an excellent job illustrating that a variety of groups such as the Chinese, Italians, Irish, and Mexicans all were somewhat different in their preferences to deal with disputes. For example, the Chinese immigrants brought with them Tong organizations that eventually became involved in the vice industry. These organizations also had a strong sense of group loyalty and honor that resulted in many "tit for tat" killings to save face after one's organization had been slighted. Overall, Mullen is correct not to dichotomize the debate between culture and society, but to understand the complex interactions between these forces. In reality, BOTH social structure and culture are important!

Although of interest to academics, this book is also a great read for non-academic readers. The book is jargon free, and is easy to understand. Many of the anecdotes read like a fun crime novel! Being a university teacher, I also think this book would be great to still up conversation and debate in university classes concerning criminology, violence, and immigration. I sincerely hope the book is soon offered in a paperback so as to make the book more affordable to students! In sum, this is a great book for a variety of audiences!!!

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