Introduction
‘On The Run’ is a book released in 2014 by Alice Goffman; it is the most potent piece of ethnography. The narrative of how it came to be is almost as fascinating as the story at the center of the literature. This is a description of some of the inhabitants — primarily young males, but also women, elderly and young – in a tiny, impoverished Black area in Philadelphia. Near the University of Pennsylvania, where Alice Goffman was a student, she started her research for this novel. Goffman’s story’s value is her honest, dispassionate, and non-ideological description of her study subjects’ life, which serves to empathize with individuals while stressing the degrading inclinations of criminal courts.
The Plot and Analysis
The central theme of Goffman’s ethnography tends to revolve around a tiny group of young people – Chuck, Mike, Tim, Reggie, Alex, and one or two others – and describes the tale of their legal troubles, ‘battle’ with other young people from neighboring regions, tries to direct some existence, create themselves as men, and, above all, the insurmountable task of seeking to avoid the occupation forces: the authorities. These are younger players who have grown up thinking nothing else. For whom evading the officer is a talent that must be learned early on. A ‘straight’ existence is so hard to imagine that it is seldom even a fantasy. For Mike, Tim, Reggie, and others, life began primarily without the essential accessories of society; it is a lifestyle on edge. As an undergraduate student, she began tutoring two youngsters in the neighborhood on the spur of the moment. Eventually, via connections with Chuck, Mike and others became almost unconsciously members of the sixth St society.
As Goffman admits, the word “on the run” barely describes half of these youthful men’s circumstances. They routinely aim to evade the government in practically all of its manifestations, particularly the authorities and the tribunals, and their techniques for sticking their kids down are detailed. Nevertheless, the phrases ‘on the run’ and ‘wrapped up’ are used indiscriminately. Goffman explores the fugitives’ interactions and how their legal difficulties influence their relatives (Maseda, 2017). Many readers may feel shame or resentful about the situation of perceived discrimination in America, particularly concerning crime trends, after reading this book.
The other issue these young men face - the crux of Goffman’s argument – is that it is complicated to leave once recognized by the institution. These young males become constitutionally implicated in Goffman’s terminology after being kidnapped, prosecuted, and maybe detained, if not under probation or parole. Their lifestyles were now managed by rules governing where they might be seen, what they could do, and who they could be seen with. Any transgression – or, more importantly, any suspected infraction – would almost certainly result in an instant return to jail or some other type of punishment intensification. Everybody in the neighborhood’s everyday life is ruined as a result of this.
In short, this is an analysis of the criminal system’s enormous reach — a reach that extends far beyond the mere consequence of formal structures such as jail, supervision, rehabilitation, and even police, of becoming something that impacts and infects practically every element of a neighborhood’s existence. The contemporary carceral state has transformed part of the city like this one across America into what Goffman refers to as a community of suspicions and exiles. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the expectations put on women in these neighborhoods: on the one hand, to defend or fight their husbands from police investigations, and on the other, to palm them up to the officers. In the latter case, the authorities would go virtually to any length to cajole, intimidate, or intimidate the ladies into supplying information about their spouses, boyfriends, and children. Most strikingly, and by no circumstances often, they were faced with allowing their kids to withdraw from their custody.
As neighborhoods of criminals and exiles, these were, of course, very intensively policed areas. They were, paradoxically, terribly inadequate at the same time. Because of the legal troubles that shroud so many neighborhood inhabitants, the police cannot be approached for assistance. One of the young guys, Eddie, fractures his arm in one chapter, and Goffman’s depiction of establishing the injured limb — in his family’s kitchen – is an eye-watering picture of the effect of being swept up the road.
The platters of cornmeal and poultry supplied in component to the community doctor who mended Eddie’s arm, to the seemingly casual manner in which Goffman recalls watching the cops choke a young guy to death, set apart from most other work, as do all excellent ethnographies. This, together with the sheer magnitude of the operation, is what sets ‘On The Run’ apart. There is a 50-page methodological note after the book in which Goffman starts to expose the tremendous lengths she went to submerge herself in 6th Street. She became so engaged over the years that she abandoned much of her previous life and, perhaps, much of her original identity alone. She speaks poignantly, though short, about the repercussions.
As an intelligent white lady conducting ethnographic in an impoverished Black neighborhood, Goffman’s strategy was to take up as little communal hub as possible. This invisibility pervades her literature. In countless instances, I wished to learn more about her, understand her ideas and feelings, and sense her directorial presence more powerfully. Unfortunately, this is not her style; nevertheless, in the analytical note, Goffman raises her head over the water for the first time, directly discussing the effort required in the task, the risks, and hazards she encountered, and some of the ethical considerations quandaries she confronted.
Many individuals may feel ashamed or resentful about the situation of perceived discrimination in America, specifically regarding crime and criminal justice, after reading this novel. Goffman is doing an excellent job of describing the daily life of young Black men and the costs of their legal troubles. Despite the book’s general excellence, there are a few flaws worth mentioning. It represents the better part of a decade’s worth of labor, and the devotion of the ethnographer involved goes much beyond what one could reasonably anticipate or was possibly reasonable (Contreras, 2019). In an age when ethical guidelines and the increasing utilitarian character of academic life make creative and dangerous work decreasingly conceivable, one must be grateful that there are infrequent Alice Goffman’s around to remind us precisely what sociologists at their best can do. It is a fantastic ethnographic effort.
The entire work talks about the illegal acts of young Black males and their failings. Because so little time has been spent on that so clean individuals, one would get the sense that nearly all young black guys in this area are criminals and unclean even though these flaws, ‘On the Run’ are an excellent book that explores the real repercussions of hard on criminal punishment and the destructive impact of the war against drugs in urban environments.
The main disadvantage of the study is participation in illegal activities in an attempted murder. It was a conspiracy to kill that was illegal in every sense. But she defended it by saying that it was just a morning ritual and no one thought of killing anyone. The main plus is the coverage of the topic of how blacks are treated in police districts. The government should focus on this topic since Hoffman’s work does not have a specific target group but only focuses attention.
Conclusion
To summarize, ‘On The Run’ is an ethnography; the tale of how it evolved to be is just about as intriguing as the main story of the book. Goffman concedes that the phrase “on the run” only covers half of these young men’s predicament. They constantly seek to avoid governance in virtually all forms, notably authorities and courts, and their strategies for connecting their children are outlined. In a nutshell, this is an examination of the lawbreaker system’s benefit extensively —dissemination that extends well beyond the mere result of formal structures like jail, monitoring, rehabilitative services, and even officers, to become something that affects and infects every aspect of a neighborhood’s presence.
Goffman’s technique as an intellectual white lady conducting ethnographic research in a poor Black neighborhood was to occupy as little community space as possible. After reading this work, many people may feel humiliated or angry about the state of perceived prejudice in America, particularly in the areas of crime and criminal justice. Goffman does an excellent job of illustrating the daily lives of young Black guys as well as the expenses of their legal problems. Despite the book’s overall quality, there are a few weaknesses to note.
Reference List
Contreras, R. 2019. ‘Transparency and unmasking issues in ethnographic crime research: methodological considerations’. In Sociological Forum, 34(2), pp. 293-312.
Maseda, R. V. 2017. Deciphering Goffman: The structure of his sociological theory revisited. Routledge.