Righteous Dopefiend Book Critique - Essay Example

Markos Antonios Bouris Drugs And Society 21/06/10 Dopefiend Bourgois, Phillipe, Jeff Schonberg. Righteous Dopefiend. of California Press: California, 2009, ISBN 0520254988. Summary of Righteous Dopefiend The concept of drug abuse through illegal drugs is one that is often disregarded in society. However, when looking more closely at this, it can be seen that there is a society that thrives from heroin and substance abuse over other aspects o life. In the book, Righteous Dopefiend, there is an evaluation of the homeless in a sector of San Francisco, known as “the hole.” The evaluation of the homeless are also known as the righteous dopefiend’s because they live their lives from constant use of heroin. The author’s observe the realities of the homeless who are always hustling for the drugs over food and shelter and evaluate the way in which this segment of society functions to create their own culture and system, specifically with the desire to have more heroin available for their use. Throughout the book, the author’s relay different segments of the homeless population to show the different functions and roles that are a part of the community. Different stories are told about the heroin users and how they work to create an aspect of society that is based on using illegal drugs. This is followed by ethnographic figures that take place through a series of photographs to show the lifestyle and conditions of the individuals that are a part of the community. Through the documents that were taken, was the ability to capture a space in society that is often regarded as morally wrong and which doesn’t account for the social truth and realities that the righteous dopefiend’s carry in culture. Author’s Thesis The main argument that the author present is to represent the homeless and the righteous dopefiend’s in a different light. The authors’ state in the beginning that the observations taken from the homeless are not regarded as one that is morally objective. Instead, the photographs and stories are an anthropological representation of culture and society. It is the authors’ desire to create a different viewpoint of the homeless that are addicted to heroin, not from a righteous or morally fit viewpoint, such as society views. Instead, the book is based on observing how the culture and society of homeless addicts functions. The book remains neutral and is not objective in observations and instead shows how the individuals survive and what they regard as important in their lives. The author combines this with evaluations from the segments of society, such as the difference between the younger addicts and the older generations. The main thesis that the authors’ are able to provide through these observations is that the righteous dopefiend’s carry a specific culture and method for functioning, as well as a space in society that they have created for their own survival. Important Arguments The concept of looking at the dopefiend’s as a culture and networked society is the first argument that is presented by the authors. The first approach that is taken is to show that there are diverse characters within the homeless society. The diversity is represented through observations of demographics that make up the unit of the homeless. This continues with the observation that each of the individuals that are in the homeless society carries specific roles and understands what the other is supposed to do within their network. The authors present this through different chapters, each which focuses on one unit of the homeless society and which shows their basic functions in the culture that has been created for the homeless that use heroin. The authors continue with this basic approach to show how the society created for heroin users is a culture that is defined not only by the system used among the homeless. There is also a presentation of the concept of social suffering. The morality that is associated with society when looking at heroin users and the way in which individuals look at abuse is also reflected in the observations of the authors. By presenting this idea, there is the ability to understand how the righteous dopefiend’s are subjected to a specific place in society that is almost impossible to get out of. The morality that society often places on the homeless and the way that they interact because of the psychological associations with abuse of illegal drugs have created a gap in the two cultures and have caused many of the heroin users to become a part of social suffering. To further define this, the authors show the definitions that are used toward the homeless addicts through psychology, sociology and theorists. Through the different accounts that are told throughout the book is the ability to identify the social and cultural aspects of the homeless. Social boundaries, segmentation and the functions of the community are all defined through the personal accounts and experiences of the authors. The first part to this is to identify the main characteristics that are associated with being homeless and a heroin addict. This is followed by accounts of the relationships on the street, including the romance and sex work that is often found in homeless communities. After this, the authors describe the dependence on heroin as well as how this affects various aspects of the community, including child labor and legal labor. The authors move into a description of parenthood and families that are addicted to heroin and how this affects their livelihoods as a part of this social group. There is also observation of how the homeless make money and “hustle” to get the heroin that is needed as well as how they survive. These various observations are able to provide the authors with different conclusions as well as discussions on the culture and lifestyle of the righteous dopefiends. Discussion of Conclusion After the observations are made about the components of the society and culture of the righteous dopefiends, the authors are able to draw specific conclusions. The conclusion that both authors come to summarizes the experience of the cultural and social observations. More importantly, they both draw in an anthropological viewpoint of what has occurred through their observations and how this has affected different aspects of society. The conclusion is able to show how the field work done for this society is different than the perceptions given of the homeless based on social expectations and the culture that is looking at the homeless and drug addicts. The second important component of the conclusion is based on the recommendations that are given by the authors. There is a focus on the policies that need to be implemented in society through politicians. The authors weigh in heavily on the lack of political activity and structures that haven’t been implemented to assist with drug addicts and the homeless. Through the anthropological observations, the authors are able to show that the homelessness and drug addiction is a viscous cycle that most of the individuals are not able to get out of. The authors challenge politicians and those that are able to make policies to alter the way that they approach homelessness and the different aspects of society that continues to create areas of society like the righteous dopefiends. More importantly, the political challenges are followed by specific solutions for economic development and long term improvements that can help those that are impoverished. The conclusion is one of the most effective aspects not only because of the challenges given to politicians and the observations from the anthropological viewpoint by both authors. There are also observations that relate directly to the external environment and the position that the world is in when relating to poverty. The authors make direct statements about the time frame that the world is in as well as the way that this is affected through resources and the political and economic frameworks that exist in various communities. The authors point out their own theories about how the political and cultural affiliations at this time, as well as how their anthropological studies are a microcosm of the larger community. The challenge that the authors leave the readers with is to reconsider the possibilities of how they look at various cultural and economic associations while beginning to find ways to change the impoverished communities. Effects of the Book’s Publication The book’s publication is essential to the changes that are currently needed in society as well as how individuals are able to respond to different communities. A main challenge that the authors present is an observation not only of the homeless and drug addicts in San Francisco. More importantly, they are able to break down barriers and stereotypes that are in the surrounding community and which lead to ignorance about the righteous dopefiend community. The ability to observe and live within the homeless community immediately breaks down stereotypes and assumptions that the surrounding culture has. More importantly, it redefines the morality that society has defined with the homeless. The authors are able to show that the definitions society has given to the homeless and to drug addicts is more complex and have different associations than expected. The impact of the book is not only important for readers that have specific assumptions about the homeless and drug addicts. The theories and the challenges that the authors present at the end also create a deeper understanding and a set of solutions that can be applied to politics and the economy. Looking at the state of homelessness and drug addiction as a problem that is within the systems of politics is essential to the book. The authors are able to show that culture and society has created the areas of life such as the homeless dopefiend instead of placing the weight on the individuals that are in this segment of culture. Placing responsibility and potential solutions on the systems that exist then creates a different outlook toward the problems that are associated with this. It also shows the reader that the solution is not reliant on those that are homeless and addicted to heroin. More importantly, the solution is based on politicians and individuals taking a different level of responsibility by beginning to change the functions in the system and the way that this aspect of society and culture is looked at. Read More