Jay MacLeod is a parish priest in England. Combining Christian ministry with community work, MacLeod still plays
streetball, or tries to. His working-class parish is one of the most ethnically diverse square miles in Britain,
and MacLeod works closely with members of the local mosques to engage disaffected teenagers and to foster friendships
across the lines of race and religion. He and his wife, Sally Asher, have three children�Asher, Kate, and Toby.
Summary
This classic text addresses one of the most important issues in modern social theory and policy: how social inequality is reproduced from one generation to the next. With the original 1987 publication of Ain't No Makin' It Jay MacLeod brought us to the Clarendon Heights housing project where we met the "Brothers" and the "Hallway Hangers." Their story of poverty race and defeatism moved readers and challenged ethnic stereotypes. MacLeod's return eight years later and the resulting 1995 revision revealed little improvement in the lives of these men as they struggled in the labor market and crime-ridden underground economy. The third edition of this classic ethnography of social reproduction brings the story of inequality and social mobility into today's dialogue. Now fully updated with thirteen new interviews from the original Hallway Hangers and Brothers as well as new theoretical analysis and comparison to the original conclusions Ain't No Makin' It remains an admired and invaluable text.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Pt. 1 The Hallway Hangers and the Brothers as Teenagers
1 Social Immobility in the Land of Opportunity 3
2 Social Reproduction in Theoretical Perspective 11
3 Teenagers in Clarendon Heights: The Hallway Hangers and the Brothers 25
4 The Influence of the Family 50
5 The World of Work: Aspirations of the Hangers and Brothers 61
6 School: Preparing for the Competition 83
7 Leveled Aspirations: Social Reproduction Takes Its Toll 112
8 Reproduction Theory Reconsidered 135
Pt. 2 Eight Years Later: Low Income, Low Outcome
9 The Hallway Hangers: Dealing in Despair 155
10 The Brothers: Dreams Deferred 196
11 Conclusion: Outclassed and Outcast(e) 239
Appendix: On the Making of Ain't No Makin' It 270
Fieldwork: Doubts, Dilemmas, and Discoveries 270
Second Harvest: Notes on the 1991 Field Experience 293
Bibliography 303
About the Book and Author 310
Index 311
