Sex, Scams, and Street Life: The Sociology of New York City's Times Square

by Robert Hartmann McNamara

Overview

For more than 60 years, Times Square has reigned as one of New York's premiere tourist attractions. In recent years, an average of 20 million people visit New York City, and Times Square is a sight most do not miss. The reason for this is that Times Square holds something for everyone: theaters, restaurants, entertainment, and a transportation center that brings almost 400,000 people into the city every day. For a sociologist interested in studying crime and the ways in which deviant networks and communities emerge, Times Square offers numerous opportunities. Because large segments of these groups pride themselves on anonymity, many researchers employ ethnographic research methods. The articles in this manuscript focus on the various aspects of Time Square using the ethnographic approach. The topics include the sex trade, drugs and drug dealing, recent redevelopment efforts, the social ecology of Times Square, and a discussion of police operations in this marketplace.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275950026
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	11/20/1995
Series:	Anthropology; 9
Pages:	146
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

ROBERT P. MCNAMARA is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Furman University. He is the author of The Times Square Hustler: Male Prostitution in New York City (Praeger, 1994), Crime Displacement: The Other Side of Prevention (1994), The Urban Landscape: Selected Readings with Kristy McNamara (1995), Managing A Deviant Status: Field Research and the Labeling Perspective with Deanna Ramey and Linda Henry (1995), Sex, Drugs, and HIV (forthcoming), and Police and Policing with Dennis Kenney (forthcoming). He has been a consultant for state, federal, and private agencies on topics such as AIDS, drug abuse, policing, and gang violence.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Research and Times Square
Methodological Notes For a Times Square Field Station by Bill Kornblum and Terry Williams
Visual Ethnography by Steve Sifaneck and Robert P. McNamara
The Social Landscape: Hustlers, Merchants and Peep Shows
The Nature of Male Prostitution by Robert P. McNamara
The Incense Merchant on Times Square: The Black Muslim Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Steve Duncombe, Steve Sifaneck, and Andras Szanto
Dramaturgy and the Social Organization of Peep Shows by Robert P. McNamara
The Changing Face of Times Square
The Forty-Second Street Development Project by Shane Newmark
The Times Square BID and its Role in Changing the Face of Times Square by Gretchen Dykstra
The Midtown Community Court Experiment by Michelle Sviridoff and John Fineblatt
Law Enforcement in Times Square 1970s-1990s by William Daly
Taking it to the Streets: Outreaching to Youth in Times Square by Marie Bresnahan
References
Index

Editorial Reviews

Ten studies of New York City's most visible and famous monument to its diversity, for academic sociologists, urban planners, and general readers interested in Times Square or The Big Apple. The topics include visual ethnography, the Black Muslim ethic and the spirit of capitalism as manifested in the incense merchant, community court, law enforcement from the 1970s to the 1990s, and outreach to youth. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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