Background
Mr. Hagedorn was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, on July 30, 1947. He is a son of George Bernard Carl and Feme Violet Hagedorn.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01F81MLNO/?tag=2022091-20
(Although they were originally considered an American phen...)
Although they were originally considered an American phenomenon, gangs today have grown and transformed into global enterprises. Despite these changes, criminologists have not yet reassessed worldwide gangs in terms of the other changes associated with globalization. John M. Hagedorn aims to correct this oversight by incorporating important theoretical advances in urban political economy and understanding changes in gangs around the world as a result of globalization and the growth of the information economy. Contrary to older conceptions, today’s gangs are international, are often institutionalized, and may be explicitly concerned with race and ethnicity. Gangs in the Global City presents the work of an assortment of international scholars that challenges traditional approaches to problems in criminology from many different perspectives and includes theoretical discussions, case studies, and examinations of gang members’ identities. The contributors consider gangs not as fundamentally a crime problem but as variable social organizations in poor communities that are transitioning to the new economy. Although they were originally considered an American phenomenon, gangs today have grown and transformed into global enterprises. Despite these changes, criminologists have not yet reassessed worldwide gangs in terms of the other changes associated with globalization. John M. Hagedorn aims to correct this oversight by incorporating important theoretical advances in urban political economy and understanding changes in gangs around the world as a result of globalization and the growth of the information economy. Contrary to older conceptions, today’s gangs are international, are often institutionalized, and may be explicitly concerned with race and ethnicity. Gangs in the Global City presents the work of an assortment of international scholars that challenges traditional approaches to problems in criminology from many different perspectives and includes theoretical discussions, case studies, and examinations of gang members’ identities. The contributors consider gangs not as fundamentally a crime problem but as variable social organizations in poor communities that are transitioning to the new economy.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0252073371/?tag=2022091-20
(When People and Folks first appeared, William Julius Wils...)
When People and Folks first appeared, William Julius Wilson called it "the most insightful book ever written on inner-city gangs" and "required reading for anyone seeking an understanding of gang activity in our large urban centers." It was also praised by Ron Huff as "a vicarious journey into the underbelly of a rustbelt city, the breeding ground of gangs—Underclass America." This gritty and poignant portrait of gang members has become a major contribution to the academic literature. The first edition of People and Folks broke new ground, influencing a generation of researchers. This expanded edition also offers provocative new insights into race and class, challenging accepted theories with fresh data from one of the most extensive studies ever undertaken of street gangs in a single city. In particular, Hagedorn questions prevailing assumptions about gang violence, drug use, and the cultural differences between the inner-city "underclass" and the suburban middle classes. Unlike many other gang studies, he explores the nature of gender for both male and female gangs members and examines the differences between male and female gangs. When People and Folks first appeared, William Julius Wilson called it "the most insightful book ever written on inner-city gangs" and "required reading for anyone seeking an understanding of gang activity in our large urban centers." It was also praised by Ron Huff as "a vicarious journey into the underbelly of a rustbelt city, the breeding ground of gangs—Underclass America." This gritty and poignant portrait of gang members has become a major contribution to the academic literature. The first edition of People and Folks broke new ground, influencing a generation of researchers. This expanded edition also offers provocative new insights into race and class, challenging accepted theories with fresh data from one of the most extensive studies ever undertaken of street gangs in a single city. In particular, Hagedorn questions prevailing assumptions about gang violence, drug use, and the cultural differences between the inner-city "underclass" and the suburban middle classes. Unlike many other gang studies, he explores the nature of gender for both male and female gangs members and examines the differences between male and female gangs.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0941702464/?tag=2022091-20
(Female Gangs in America begins by reprinting classic, and...)
Female Gangs in America begins by reprinting classic, and hard to find, essays that chronicle the earliest research on girls, gender, and gangs. Included in this section are essays by Thrasher, Rice, Brown, and Quicker as well as a retrospective piece by Fishman on African American girls in Chicago gangs of the sixties. The theoretical issues exposed by a focus on the role of gender in gang research are explored in essays by Giordano, Campbell, Messerschmidt and Curry. These works explore the degree to which gangs are sites for "doing gender" while also revisiting of the emancipation versus victimization theories as they apply to young women's crime. Other important issues explored in the collection include the role of economic marginalization in girls membership in gangs as well as an understanding of the family life of girls in gangs. Ethnic and geographic variations in girls experience of gang membership are also reviewed in essays by Moore, Portillos, Joe and Chesney-Lind. A consideration of girls and violence is inescapable when girls’ membership in gangs is considered in a series of important papers by Campbell, Deschenes and Esbensen, and Hagedorn and Devitt. Finally, the media construction of girl gang membership, as part of the larger backlash against girls and women's issues, is explored in a concluding essay by Chesney-Lind. This book establishes a new high water mark for research on gender and gangs, rejecting simplistic over-generalizations in favor of detailed and thoughtful considerations of the ways in which girls' lives, girls' troubles, and girls' gang membership are inextricably connected. The focus on girls and gang membership also illuminates important similarities and differences between the female and male gangs, thereby building a richer understanding of the role of gender and gangs in the lives young people on the racial, political and economic margins of this country. Female Gangs in America begins by reprinting classic, and hard to find, essays that chronicle the earliest research on girls, gender, and gangs. Included in this section are essays by Thrasher, Rice, Brown, and Quicker as well as a retrospective piece by Fishman on African American girls in Chicago gangs of the sixties. The theoretical issues exposed by a focus on the role of gender in gang research are explored in essays by Giordano, Campbell, Messerschmidt and Curry. These works explore the degree to which gangs are sites for "doing gender" while also revisiting of the emancipation versus victimization theories as they apply to young women's crime. Other important issues explored in the collection include the role of economic marginalization in girls membership in gangs as well as an understanding of the family life of girls in gangs. Ethnic and geographic variations in girls experience of gang membership are also reviewed in essays by Moore, Portillos, Joe and Chesney-Lind. A consideration of girls and violence is inescapable when girls’ membership in gangs is considered in a series of important papers by Campbell, Deschenes and Esbensen, and Hagedorn and Devitt. Finally, the media construction of girl gang membership, as part of the larger backlash against girls and women's issues, is explored in a concluding essay by Chesney-Lind. This book establishes a new high water mark for research on gender and gangs, rejecting simplistic over-generalizations in favor of detailed and thoughtful considerations of the ways in which girls' lives, girls' troubles, and girls' gang membership are inextricably connected. The focus on girls and gang membership also illuminates important similarities and differences between the female and male gangs, thereby building a richer understanding of the role of gender and gangs in the lives young people on the racial, political and economic margins of this country.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0941702472/?tag=2022091-20
(The Insane Chicago Way is the untold story of a daring pl...)
The Insane Chicago Way is the untold story of a daring plan by Chicago gangs in the 1990s to create a Spanish Mafia—and why it failed. John M. Hagedorn traces how Chicago Latino gang leaders, following in Al Capone’s footsteps, built a sophisticated organization dedicated to organizing crime and reducing violence. His lively stories of extensive cross-neighborhood gang organization, tales of police/gang corruption, and discovery of covert gang connections to Chicago’s Mafia challenge conventional wisdom and offer lessons for the control of violence today. The book centers on the secret history of Spanish Growth & Development (SGD)—an organization of Latino gangs founded in 1989 and modeled on the Mafia’s nationwide Commission. It also tells a story within a story of the criminal exploits of the C-Note$, the “minor league” team of the Chicago’s Mafia (called the “Outfit”), which influenced the direction of SGD. Hagedorn’s tale is based on three years of interviews with an Outfit soldier as well as access to SGD’s constitution and other secret documents, which he supplements with interviews of key SGD leaders, court records, and newspaper accounts. The result is a stunning, heretofore unknown history of the grand ambitions of Chicago gang leaders that ultimately led to SGD’s shocking collapse in a pool of blood on the steps of a gang-organized peace conference. The Insane Chicago Way is a compelling history of the lives and deaths of Chicago gang leaders. At the same time it is a sociological tour de force that warns of the dangers of organized crime while arguing that today’s relative disorganization of gangs presents opportunities for intervention and reductions in violence. The Insane Chicago Way is the untold story of a daring plan by Chicago gangs in the 1990s to create a Spanish Mafia—and why it failed. John M. Hagedorn traces how Chicago Latino gang leaders, following in Al Capone’s footsteps, built a sophisticated organization dedicated to organizing crime and reducing violence. His lively stories of extensive cross-neighborhood gang organization, tales of police/gang corruption, and discovery of covert gang connections to Chicago’s Mafia challenge conventional wisdom and offer lessons for the control of violence today. The book centers on the secret history of Spanish Growth & Development (SGD)—an organization of Latino gangs founded in 1989 and modeled on the Mafia’s nationwide Commission. It also tells a story within a story of the criminal exploits of the C-Note$, the “minor league” team of the Chicago’s Mafia (called the “Outfit”), which influenced the direction of SGD. Hagedorn’s tale is based on three years of interviews with an Outfit soldier as well as access to SGD’s constitution and other secret documents, which he supplements with interviews of key SGD leaders, court records, and newspaper accounts. The result is a stunning, heretofore unknown history of the grand ambitions of Chicago gang leaders that ultimately led to SGD’s shocking collapse in a pool of blood on the steps of a gang-organized peace conference. The Insane Chicago Way is a compelling history of the lives and deaths of Chicago gang leaders. At the same time it is a sociological tour de force that warns of the dangers of organized crime while arguing that today’s relative disorganization of gangs presents opportunities for intervention and reductions in violence.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/022623293X/?tag=2022091-20
(For the more than a billion people who now live in urban ...)
For the more than a billion people who now live in urban slums, gangs are ubiquitous features of daily life. Though still most closely associated with American cities, gangs are an entrenched, worldwide phenomenon that play a significant role in a wide range of activities, from drug dealing to extortion to religious and political violence. In A World of Gangs, John Hagedorn explores this international proliferation of the urban gang as a consequence of the ravages of globalization. Looking closely at gang formation in three world cities-Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, and Capetown-he discovers that some gangs have institutionalized as a strategy to confront a hopeless cycle of poverty, racism, and oppression. In particular, Hagedorn reveals, the nihilistic appeal of gangsta rap and its street ethic of survival "by any means necessary" provides vital insights into the ideology and persistence of gangs around the world. This groundbreaking work concludes on a hopeful note. Proposing ways in which gangs might be encouraged to overcome their violent tendencies, Hagedorn appeals to community leaders to use the urgency, outrage, and resistance common to both gang life and hip-hop in order to bring gangs into broader movements for social justice. For the more than a billion people who now live in urban slums, gangs are ubiquitous features of daily life. Though still most closely associated with American cities, gangs are an entrenched, worldwide phenomenon that play a significant role in a wide range of activities, from drug dealing to extortion to religious and political violence. In A World of Gangs, John Hagedorn explores this international proliferation of the urban gang as a consequence of the ravages of globalization. Looking closely at gang formation in three world cities-Chicago, Rio de Janeiro, and Capetown-he discovers that some gangs have institutionalized as a strategy to confront a hopeless cycle of poverty, racism, and oppression. In particular, Hagedorn reveals, the nihilistic appeal of gangsta rap and its street ethic of survival "by any means necessary" provides vital insights into the ideology and persistence of gangs around the world. This groundbreaking work concludes on a hopeful note. Proposing ways in which gangs might be encouraged to overcome their violent tendencies, Hagedorn appeals to community leaders to use the urgency, outrage, and resistance common to both gang life and hip-hop in order to bring gangs into broader movements for social justice.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0816650675/?tag=2022091-20
(Forsaking Our Children is the story of what happens when ...)
Forsaking Our Children is the story of what happens when an activist sociologist-and former welfare rights organizer-is hired to reform a child welfare system. Written for social workers and activists as well as for academics and policy makers, this book combines often gut-wrenching personal stories and a compelling narrative of a hard-fought reform struggle with a critical history of child welfare. Despite today's adverse conditions, Hagedorn argues against defeatism, proposing a concrete and attainable blueprint for reform of the U.S. child welfare system. How and why our child welfare system fails children and their families are central questions of this book. Chilling stories of these failures are combined with a new theoretical perspective which shows how welfare bureaucracies adapted to changing political conditions, substituting punitive interventions for the delivery of needed services. Hagedorn critically examines the history of public welfare from the 19th century through the New Deal, the Anti-Poverty Programs of the sixties, and the "discover" of child abuse in the seventies. The logical conclusion of this history is the current emphasis on removing children from their families and the creation of a new system of orphanages. Applying lessons learned from restructuring modern businesses to the reform of welfare bureaucracies, Hagedorn argues that genuine reform does not involve either massive cutbacks or infusion of new funds. The lessons Hagedorn draws from the Milwaukee reform experience apply more broadly to the educational, welfare and criminal justice bureaucracies which play a major role in regulating the poor.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0941702413/?tag=2022091-20
Mr. Hagedorn was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, on July 30, 1947. He is a son of George Bernard Carl and Feme Violet Hagedorn.
John Hagedorn graduated from University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, earning Bachelor of Science (1985), Master of Arts (1987), Doctor of Philosophy (1993).
From 1968 to 1973 Mr. Hagedorn was at Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) as a community organizer with Southside Welfare Rights and Milwaukee Organizing Committee. He was an industrial worker and editor of a rank-and-file newspaper in Chelsea, MA, in 1974-1978. During the period of 1978-1980 Mr. Hagedorn served as a journalist at Impact Press Service, Chicago, IL.
Between 1982 and 1983 John Hagedorn held the posts of interim director, community organizer, and coordinator of anti-crime programs at Sherman Park Community Association. In 1983-1985 he worked at Community Relations-Social Development Commission, Milwaukee, WI, helding the position of a director of Youth Diversion Project.
From 1985 till 1988 he acted as a project director at Urban Research Center at University of Wisconsin— Milwaukee. In 1988-1991 he was a youth program coordinator at Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Service, Milwaukee. From 1991 till 1996 John Hagedorn worked at University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, helding the post of a principal investigator and project director.
Starting from 1996 Mr. Hagedorn resumed his office as assistant professor of criminal justice at University of Illinois at Chicago Circle, Chicago. In 1988 he was an instructor at Marquette University. In 1988 Mr. Hagedorn was appointed instructor at Milwaukee Area Technical College. He served as a seminar speaker at Beloit College in 1990 and 1992. During the period of 1992-1996 he acted as an instructor at Aurora University.
He was a member of steering committee of Coalition for Justice for Ernie Lacey since 1981. From 1983 to 1984 John Hagedorn was a member of steering committee of Crime Prevention Network. In 1984 he became a member of restitution subcommittee of Children’s Court Advisory Committee. Between 1984 and 1985 Mr. Hagedorn held the post of a vice chairperson of pension Task Force at Milwaukee Public Schools. From 1988 to 1991 he was a member of Youth Initiative Committee Milwaukee County.
Military service: "Vietnam War draft resister."
Mr. Hagedorn was a Contributor to books, including Gangs in America (1996), A Reader on Gangs (1996), In Their Own Words (1996). Contributor of articles and reviews to journals, including Criminology, Wisconsin Interest, Social Problems, and Journal of African American Men.
(When People and Folks first appeared, William Julius Wils...)
(Forsaking Our Children is the story of what happens when ...)
(Female Gangs in America begins by reprinting classic, and...)
(The Insane Chicago Way is the untold story of a daring pl...)
(Although they were originally considered an American phen...)
(For the more than a billion people who now live in urban ...)
Quotations:
John M. Hagedorn told CA: "For me, writing has always been rooted in action, but also in the limits of action. My book on gangs, People and Folks, really got its start when I was a director of a gang diversion program. While public officials saw the gang members I worked with only as candidates for prison, I saw flesh-and-blood boys and girls, growing up. They wanted to have a better life, but they didn’t always do it the right way. What did they really want? Here’s what I found: nothing different than you or I—a good job, a caring family, a house with a white picket fence. However, all the social programs in the world won’t make a difference unless the high and mighty change the way they look at the Jeromes, Lavells, Ritas, Angelos, and Francines of this world. A friend of mine, seeing my frustration with trying to implement change as an activist, made a queer suggestion: ‘why don’t you write a book?’ So I did."
"My second book was also the byproduct of a failed reform effort. We huffed and we puffed, but we were not able to turn the Milwaukee Department of Social Services upside down. When I quit the bureaucracy, I decided to take another kick at the cat. I summed up what we learned and argued for a specific road to change. I called the book Forsaking Our Children. Those stale old bureaucrats will never be rid of me now."
"Truth, someone once said, always begins in the minority. Social science is like that to me. It is not enough to discover truths; they must be written about, put out into the public arena, no matter how unpopular they may be at the time. 1 believe that it is only through open combat with other ideas that a truly liberating message can take root and become the midwife for change in America."
John Hagedorn married Mary L. Deutt on February 20, 1996. They have five children: Tracey, Katie, Marty, Zachary, Jess.
