1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910956138203321

Autore

Wolseth Jon <1975->

Titolo

Jesus and the gang : youth violence and Christianity in urban Honduras / / Jon Wolseth

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Tucson, : University of Arizona Press, c2011

ISBN

1-299-19140-1

0-8165-0124-6

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (174 p.)

Disciplina

303.60835/097283

Soggetti

Youth and violence - Honduras

Gangs - Honduras

Youth - Religious life - Honduras

Church and social problems - Honduras

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Youth and the politics of violence in Honduras : the murder of El Títere -- Contesting neighborhood space in Colonia Belén -- Thick as blood : street ties, gang tattoos, and graffiti -- The making of community and the work of faith -- Finding sanctuary : youth violence and Pentecostalism -- Conclusion : taking on violence.

Sommario/riassunto

In urban Honduras, gun violence and assault form the pulsing backdrop of everyday life. This book examines the ways that young men and women in working-class neighborhoods of El Progreso, Honduras, understand and respond to gang and gun violence in their communities. Because residents rely on gangs and Catholic and Evangelical Protestant churches to mediate violence in their neighborhoods, these institutions form the fabric of society. While only a small fraction of youths in a neighborhood are active members of a gang, most young men must learn the styles, ways of communicating, and local geography of gangs in order to survive. Due to the absence of gang prevention programs sponsored by the government or outside non-governmental organizations, Catholic and Pentecostal churches have developed their own ways to confront gang violence in their communities. Youths who participate in church organizations do so not



only to alter and improve their communities but also to gain emotional and institutional support. Offering firsthand accounts of these youths and how they make use of religious discourse, narrative practices, or the inscription of tattooed images and words on the body to navigate dangerous social settings, "Jesus and the Gang" is an unflinching look at how these young men turn away from perpetuating the cycle of violence and how Christianity serves a society where belonging is surviving. This book will appeal to readers with an interest in Latin American studies, urban anthropology, and youth studies. With its focus on the lives of young men and women, it's also a compelling read for anyone interested in the plight of urban youth trying to escape the gang life.