Young Black Street Masculinities

This book describes how young Black men on a disadvantaged housing estate in London navigate the estate’s expectations for their behaviour as they operate within a street code that endorses violence, knife-carrying and challenging masculinity. This street code informs the men’s masculine identities by promoting values of misogyny, violence and the possession of expensive material objects while subduing any performance or features deemed as weak or feminine. Chapters detail the daily pressure on young men to gain respect and perform the estate’s street code while also providing examples of young men who have escaped or rejected its influence. King also outlines how youth workers can support those trapped by the estate’s street code by embodying personalised or caring masculinity features that seek to transform the dominant masculinity.

“Brendan King has skillfully detailed the lives of these young men and contextualized them in their social, political, and economic environments, considering various factors carefully and their intersection with the masculinities portrayed. Growing up in London; this piece of work really took me back to some of the young men in my life as a teenager which I believe further affirms how Brendan has been able to bring to life this research. It is a great talent to be able to take the human mind to places it has or has not been before. A relevant and timely piece of research, I urge others to explore this piece of work and appreciate the importance of research that is immersive and illuminating of culture and social environments.” (Priscila Hernandez, Project Officer, Thrive LDN, UK)

“Young Black Street Masculinities brings to life the stories and experiences of young, predominantly Black, men growing up on an inner-city housing estate in their own words. Through these personal accounts, we learn how they form and navigate various identities in the different contexts that they find themselves in. It highlights how, in particular, their varying understanding and expression of masculinity is formed and upheld, and the power and importance of role models in this. It is an essential read for youth workers, teachers, or for anyone working with young people—particularly young people from disadvantaged areas, those impacted by violence, or who are grappling with their identity and what it means to be a man.” (Charly Young, CEO and Co-founder of The Girls’ Network, UK)

“This book documents a high-quality ethnographic study into an important research area with contemporary relevance. King capitalises on personal familiarity and extensive knowledge of the field of study (both geographical and conceptual) to produce a wide-ranging study that is theoretically and methodologically robust. He is to be congratulated on his ability to get alongside participants who could be resistant and impervious to more formalised forms of research engagement.” (Pete Harris, Senior Lecturer, Newman University, UK)

“Researchers have tried to understand the enduring relationship between men and violence for years. It is depressing! Why are men disposed to violence? Against one another, women or children? In this book, King sheds new and important light on such questions. Raised in a resource-poor urban area and having lost a teenage friend through knife crime, King explores how young Black men in his childhood community construct and perform masculinity. While analytical light is shone powerfully on these questions, King leaves us with hope: practitioners working with at-risk young men offer alternative, non-violent role models.” (Robert Morrell, Director of New Generation of Academics Programme, University of Cape Town, South Africa)

“This splendid book makes a salient contribution to our theoretical and empirical knowledge about young Black street masculinities and their relation to violent crime. Concentrating on a disadvantaged inner-city housing estate, King’s ethnographic data demonstrates the fluidity of masculine practices—from caring and sensitivity to toughness and violence. This work is both a good read and good scholarship—I highly recommend it!” (James W. Messerschmidt, Distinguished University Professor Emeritus, Sociology, University of Southern Maine, USA)

Brendan King earned his doctorate at the Institute of Education at University College London, UK. He has held multiple positions working with vulnerable and at-risk youth. His research interests include youth, gender and masculinity, particularly among inner-city communities.