Why do they stay: Rootedness and *isolation in an inner-city white neighboorhood

This study documents the precarious position of a white working-class and increasingly poor neighborhood of Philadelphia during the current economic restructuring, urban blight, and demographic change. The central question for this study is how and why residents stay in this community and how they orient themselves in relation to social mobility. The main purpose of this ethnographic research is to illuminate the social organization and way of life in an area defined as the “Parish neighborhood.” This study is based on data collected from a variety of ethnographic field methods including participant observation and individual and group interviews; it also draws on historical materials and census data to provide background context, current demographic trends, and a description of the local economy within a broader scope of the restructuring of the global economy. An ongoing theme in this investigation is the continuing importance of local institutions in the lives of individuals and families who stay in this predominantly Catholic, white working-class and poor neighborhood. It also looks at how the loss of jobs in blue-collar occupations has had profound impact on the local social structure, as well as family life, gender relations, and youth culture in the neighborhood. Finally, the study documents ways in which religion and parish life as well as ethnic and racial identification have generated ties that bind residents to one another, to the community, and to the physical place. This dissertation focuses on how rootedness in the fabric of local culture and family life in the context of local institutions generates social solidarity and loyalty to place, and plays a major role in how people manage economic hardships and changing social roles. It also shows ways that rootedness can be isolating and, in particular, hinder efforts and opportunities for young people to respond to demands of changing economic and social life in a postindustrial urban village

Why do they stay: Rootedness and *isolation in an inner-city white neighboorhood

This study documents the precarious position of a white working-class and increasingly poor neighborhood of Philadelphia during the current economic restructuring, urban blight, and demographic change. The central question for this study is how and why residents stay in this community and how they orient themselves in relation to social mobility. The main purpose of this ethnographic research is to illuminate the social organization and way of life in an area defined as the “Parish neighborhood.” This study is based on data collected from a variety of ethnographic field methods including participant observation and individual and group interviews; it also draws on historical materials and census data to provide background context, current demographic trends, and a description of the local economy within a broader scope of the restructuring of the global economy. An ongoing theme in this investigation is the continuing importance of local institutions in the lives of individuals and families who stay in this predominantly Catholic, white working-class and poor neighborhood. It also looks at how the loss of jobs in blue-collar occupations has had profound impact on the local social structure, as well as family life, gender relations, and youth culture in the neighborhood. Finally, the study documents ways in which religion and parish life as well as ethnic and racial identification have generated ties that bind residents to one another, to the community, and to the physical place. This dissertation focuses on how rootedness in the fabric of local culture and family life in the context of local institutions generates social solidarity and loyalty to place, and plays a major role in how people manage economic hardships and changing social roles. It also shows ways that rootedness can be isolating and, in particular, hinder efforts and opportunities for young people to respond to demands of changing economic and social life in a postindustrial urban village