Given the relative lack of information about female gang membership in Canada and the hidden nature of this population, a qualitative approach for understanding the lives of female gang members, through a life course perspective guided by feminist standpoint epistemology is utilized in this dissertation. The data for this study are obtained from interviews with fifteen girls and young women who claimed youth gang membership in their lives, from the cities of Saskatoon and Edmonton. .<p>The critical feminist perspective serves as the theoretical framework for this study. It directs us to an understanding in which girls are regarded as active agents in their own lives and who are striving to better their lives albeit with the limited options available to them in the face of locally available constructions of opportunity and possibility. The analyses reflect the lived experiences of the respondents and illuminate the ways in which the personal troubles and daily lives of respondents are explicitly overshadowed by larger public issues. Through critical analysis, this study draws attention to the ways in which girls experiences of ageism, racism, classism, and sexism interact, resulting in social exclusion, isolation from social institutions, and a subsequent involvement with youth gangs. .<p>The study reveals a heterogeneity of respondents experiences especially with respect to being treated as equals by their male counterparts. From the analysis, it is evident that gangs are highly gendered groups in which gender hierarchies force girls to find ways both to create personas of toughness and independence through participation in violent activities yet also to display appropriate feminine behaviours of sexually non-promiscuous females. Importantly, the decisions to leave the gang are triggered by the negative affects of gang life. Once out of the gang, the girls under study seemed to refocus their efforts toward educational opportunities and obtaining job-related skills. In the end, my research indicates that awareness about the dangers of gang life including the negative consequences of gang membership need to form a core of prevention programs, especially those designed for younger girls and children.

Les médias occupent une place importante au sein des sociétés occidentales, notamment en raison de l’accessibilité des « nouvelles technologies de l’information ». Le marché de la nouvelle en subit des conséquences en ce qui a trait à la création de la nouvelle entourant des phénomènes sociaux ou plutôt, aux yeux des médias, des problèmes sociaux. La présente thèse jette un regard sur le discours médiatique à l’égard de l’une de ces « problématiques sociales », celle des gangs à Montréal. En observant la sélection des faits qui sont rapportés, commentés et interprétés dans la presse, notre recherche montre comment le phénomène des gangs est représenté dans le journal La Presse entre 1980 et 2010. 348 articles ont été analysés durant ces trente années où les gangs sont évoqués. Nous avons pu en dégager trois grands axes. D’abord, la définition du concept de gang n’est pas plus claire dans les médias qu’elle ne l’est dans la littérature scientifique. D’ailleurs, la ligne entre les gangs et les groupes criminels traditionnels n’est pas toujours facile à tracer dans la représentation médiatique. Ensuite, les membres des gangs ne sont pas seulement présentés comme des Autres au sens criminologique, mais généralement comme des ‘Autres étrangers’, les minorités visibles étant implicitement ou explicitement associées à cette problématique sociale tout au long de notre période à l’étude. Finalement, les gangs sont dépeints comme étant plus présents et plus dangereux chaque jour, et ce, dès 1989. Cette dimension alarmiste du discours médiatique sur les gangs semble liée au fait que, très souvent, les journalistes relaient les dires des policiers sans leur ajouter des faits explicatifs, qui auraient favorisé une meilleure compréhension de ce phénomène complexe.

Given the relative lack of information about female gang membership in Canada and the hidden nature of this population, a qualitative approach for understanding the lives of female gang members, through a life course perspective guided by feminist standpoint epistemology is utilized in this dissertation. The data for this study are obtained from interviews with fifteen girls and young women who claimed youth gang membership in their lives, from the cities of Saskatoon and Edmonton. .<p>The critical feminist perspective serves as the theoretical framework for this study. It directs us to an understanding in which girls are regarded as active agents in their own lives and who are striving to better their lives albeit with the limited options available to them in the face of locally available constructions of opportunity and possibility. The analyses reflect the lived experiences of the respondents and illuminate the ways in which the personal troubles and daily lives of respondents are explicitly overshadowed by larger public issues. Through critical analysis, this study draws attention to the ways in which girls experiences of ageism, racism, classism, and sexism interact, resulting in social exclusion, isolation from social institutions, and a subsequent involvement with youth gangs. .<p>The study reveals a heterogeneity of respondents experiences especially with respect to being treated as equals by their male counterparts. From the analysis, it is evident that gangs are highly gendered groups in which gender hierarchies force girls to find ways both to create personas of toughness and independence through participation in violent activities yet also to display appropriate feminine behaviours of sexually non-promiscuous females. Importantly, the decisions to leave the gang are triggered by the negative affects of gang life. Once out of the gang, the girls under study seemed to refocus their efforts toward educational opportunities and obtaining job-related skills. In the end, my research indicates that awareness about the dangers of gang life including the negative consequences of gang membership need to form a core of prevention programs, especially those designed for younger girls and children.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

This study explores the perceptions, and life experiences of formerly gang-involved young adult refugee men living in Winnipeg. In doing so, this study examines both the negative experiences and challenges of these young men that led to their involvement with gangs, and the positive and life changing events that provided the catalyst for these young men to leave their gangs. If positive support mechanisms are insufficient, and if their basic human needs cannot be satisfied, refugee young people become at-risk of involvement in antisocial behavior and criminal activity. In order to assist refugee young people in their successful transition into a foreign culture and society it is essential to understand how their perceptions and experiences inform their identity and behavior. This study contributes to this understanding, which will inform policy and future approaches by government and community-based organizations to assist them in their transition.

This study explores the perceptions, and life experiences of formerly gang-involved young adult refugee men living in Winnipeg. In doing so, this study examines both the negative experiences and challenges of these young men that led to their involvement with gangs, and the positive and life changing events that provided the catalyst for these young men to leave their gangs. If positive support mechanisms are insufficient, and if their basic human needs cannot be satisfied, refugee young people become at-risk of involvement in antisocial behavior and criminal activity. In order to assist refugee young people in their successful transition into a foreign culture and society it is essential to understand how their perceptions and experiences inform their identity and behavior. This study contributes to this understanding, which will inform policy and future approaches by government and community-based organizations to assist them in their transition.

Les médias occupent une place importante au sein des sociétés occidentales, notamment en raison de l’accessibilité des « nouvelles technologies de l’information ». Le marché de la nouvelle en subit des conséquences en ce qui a trait à la création de la nouvelle entourant des phénomènes sociaux ou plutôt, aux yeux des médias, des problèmes sociaux. La présente thèse jette un regard sur le discours médiatique à l’égard de l’une de ces « problématiques sociales », celle des gangs à Montréal. En observant la sélection des faits qui sont rapportés, commentés et interprétés dans la presse, notre recherche montre comment le phénomène des gangs est représenté dans le journal La Presse entre 1980 et 2010. 348 articles ont été analysés durant ces trente années où les gangs sont évoqués. Nous avons pu en dégager trois grands axes. D’abord, la définition du concept de gang n’est pas plus claire dans les médias qu’elle ne l’est dans la littérature scientifique. D’ailleurs, la ligne entre les gangs et les groupes criminels traditionnels n’est pas toujours facile à tracer dans la représentation médiatique. Ensuite, les membres des gangs ne sont pas seulement présentés comme des Autres au sens criminologique, mais généralement comme des ‘Autres étrangers’, les minorités visibles étant implicitement ou explicitement associées à cette problématique sociale tout au long de notre période à l’étude. Finalement, les gangs sont dépeints comme étant plus présents et plus dangereux chaque jour, et ce, dès 1989. Cette dimension alarmiste du discours médiatique sur les gangs semble liée au fait que, très souvent, les journalistes relaient les dires des policiers sans leur ajouter des faits explicatifs, qui auraient favorisé une meilleure compréhension de ce phénomène complexe.

This study explores ethnic identity and ethnic culture and the role they play in the lives of young men in gangs. Fifty male youths between the ages of 14 and 20 were interviewed. These youths were of French (10), Haitian (10), Jamaican (10), and Latino (10) ethnicity. Ten youths from a variety of other ethnic backgrounds were also interviewed. All youths were confined in maximum-security detention centers in Montreal, Canada. Participatory observation of males who were full-fledged gang members or affiliated with gang members was conducted at these centers. Analysis for this dissertation was conducted following the Birmingham School perspective and Herbert Gans's theory of symbolic ethnicity. The Birmingham School perspective is used to explore symbolic meaning behind specific styles [i.e. hairstyles, image, demeanor] and the degree to which they are interrelated with these young men's ethnic culture and ethnic identity, and how these various styles are signifiers of resistance or belonging. Herbert Gans's conception of symbolic ethnicity is used to explore ethno-cultural identity and its meaning in gang life. The research shows that these gangs (the French, Haitian, Jamaican, Latino, and youths from a variety of other ethnic backgrounds) are organized along racial and ethnic lines. Latinos were most likely to explicitly identify preservation of ethnic identity and ethnic culture as important components of gang life. This research is exploratory and identifies important issues for further investigation. / Key words. youth gangs, delinquency, Montreal, ethnicity, culture, identity, style.

Thesis (M.S. in National Security Affairs (Western Hemisphere))--Naval Postgraduate School, June 2009. / Thesis Advisor(s): Giraldo, Jeanne ; Bruneau, Thomas C. "June 2009." Description based on title screen as viewed on July 14, 2009. DTIC Identifiers: Organized crime. Author(s) subject terms: El Salvador, Guatemala, organized crime, police reform, political party system, peace accords, gangs, drug trafficking organizations. Includes bibliographical references (p. 83-87). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Central Florida, 2009. / Adviser: Lin Huff-Corzine. Includes bibliographical references (p. 194-201).