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In Memory of Marshall Berman American Sociological Association Volume 26 Number 1 Community & Urban Sociology Section Fal l 2013 CUSS Newsletter INSIDE THIS Concentrated Poverty & Concentrated ISSUE: Affluence: Notes for a Comparative Analysis Editor’s Note 2 In Memorial 3 -Marshall Berman Herbert Gans tal transactions and criti- Columbia University cal mass processes take 2014 CUSS Panels & 4 place in both. Likewise, Roundtables The concept that pov- so do good and bad so- erty-related social prob- cial and individual effects. News & Notes 6 lems are caused in part The most dramatic - 2013 CUSS Awards 7 by the spatial concentra- and disturbing - findings Presentations tion of the poor was intro- of concentrated poverty duced by urban sociolo- research are associated gists and antipoverty re- with high poverty neigh- New Books 8 searchers during a period borhoods, areas in which of increasing poverty at 40 percent or more of the Announcements 11 the start of the 1990s. population is poor. Low The debates over concen- Since then, the coun- poverty neighborhoods, trated poverty and wealth try has seen an immense where 20 or 10 percent of intensified after the 2008 increase in the number of the residents are poor Great Recession. affluent people, but soci- have fewer socially and ologists have not consid- individually destructive ered the possible exist- neighborhood effects. problems parallel to those ence of similar spatial The basic question: found in the highly con- concentration effects does the same pattern centrated areas of the among this population. apply to concentrated poor? Despite massive affluence? Poverty and High poverty areas are wealth and income differ- affluence have very dif- typically marked by family ences between concen- ferent effects on people -related problems, chil- trated poor and affluent but how about concentra- dren's school perfor- areas, presumably the tion? Do neighborhoods mance issues, physical same peer and conformi- in which 40 percent or and mental health issues, ty pressures, social capi- more are affluent display high rates of joblessness Concentrated, page 9 Chair’s Message Philip Kasinitz, City University of New York Greetings fellow Cuss- huge success. The ses- for me was that the ASA niks! I hope you all en- sions were extremely in- schedule meant that al- joyed this year’s meeting teresting and well attend- most as soon as I had in New York as much as ed, and the reception was recovered from the 2013 I did. In my own, com- a blast. ASA, we needed to pro- pletely biased view the The only unfortunate duce a schedule of ses- section’s program was part of the whole affair Chair, page 2 Pa g e 2 Volume 26 Number 1 Chair’s Message from page 1 sions for the 2014 ASA apologize in advance to central. I saw, or thought according to the helpful meeting in San Francis- the session organizers for I saw, that the descrip- and infinitely patient folks co. However, once the descriptions of their tions were limited to 200 at ASA Central Com- again, the section mem- sessions that will shortly words. Now, as my mand the issue was the bership responded enthu- appear in the ASA call for friends will attest, I have sessions had more than siastically to my panicked papers—and while doing a hard time saying one organizer. The sys- email calling for sessions so, take this opportunity “good morning” in less tem, I was told, “likes to and volunteers, and soon to rant a bit about one of than 200 words. But I do have only one organizer the council and I had my pet peeves. When like to do what I am told per session” (yeah, I more great ideas for ses- you get the ASA call you so I dutifully edited the thought…and I would sions than we could ac- will note that the descrip- descriptions way down, like to have a MacArthur commodate. The descrip- tions are extremely short. losing much of the organ- Award, but that is not go- tions of these sessions When I uploaded the de- izers’ carefully sculpted ing to bloody well happen and the contact infor- scriptions that the organ- prose in the process. I either!”). At this point, mation for the organizers izers had so carefully then resubmitted to however, realizing that are in this issue and I crafted, the new, super- package and was again arguing was useless and hope you will agree with efficient computer system rejected. Still too long! that I beginning to sound me that it sounds really that ASA now uses to Thinking “WTF!” I re-read like a lunatic, I gave up. promising. I want to thank assemble the program the instructions more Up against a hard dead- all of you who wrote me promptly rejected them carefully this time and line and cowed into sub- and apologize to those I all. I am afraid I took discovered that I was not mission, I picked some- could not squeeze in. I some offense at this. limited to 200 words, but one to be a “lead” organ- would also strongly sug- “Look here”, I shouted at to 200 KEY STROKES! izer. Please do not get gest that members the screen. “I am the duly Essentially a freakin’ mad when only one whose session ideas did elected Chair of the ASA tweet! To make a long name appears in the ASA not get onto the program Community and Urban story short, after much Call. Once again, the write to the roundtable Section, and you are a cursing and ruminating names of all the organiz- organizers and suggest collection of electronically on how intellectual integ- ers will appear here, in organizing a roundtable. encoded ones and ze- rity is falling victim to the our newsletter and will And for all of you who ros! I out rank you! I will needs of soulless ma- appear in the final ASA volunteered to serve on be long winded if I want chines I managed to program. committees—many, to be!” When this childish pare the descriptions Yours in struggle, many thanks. If you have raving yielded the predict- down to the required Philip Kasinitz not yet heard from me able lack of results, I de- length (or lack thereof). I yet, you will! cided to actually read the then re-submitted. Re- I would also like to instructions from ASA jected again. This time, Editor’s Note William Holt, Birmingham - Southern College While it feels like we Section Chair Phil Kasi- priately with the ASA know him personally, we were just in New York at nitz announcing the 2014 2014 Meeting’s theme, will forever remember him the ASA Meetings, Fall CUSS Call for Awards “Hard Times: The Impact in the American Experi- Term flew by and we’re including committee infor- of Economic Inequality on ence: Robert Moses vid- starting to make plans for mation and submission Families and Individuals.” eo as new generations the 2014 ASA Meetings deadlines. Gans poses interested see the impacts of urban in San Francisco. This This edition kicks off ideas for research on this renewal. edition includes the the CUSS Newsletter’s topic. As always, please CUSS Call for Submis- 26th year with a feature In this edition, we eu- send me any ideas for sions for panels and by Herbert Gans examin- logize the passing of Mar- features or contributions. roundtables. You should ing concentrated poverty shall Berman this fall. For This is a perfect format to look for an e-mail from and wealth fitting appro- those of us who did not try out new ideas. CUSS Newsletter Pa g e 3 In Memory of Marshall Berman Lily Hoffman creativity has sprung CUNY-Graduate Center from urban disaster, CUNY-City College even demolition, citing Marshall Berman, New York’s recovery known for his Marxist hu- from the fiscal crises of manist rhapsody, All that the 1970s; describing is Solid Melts into Air how Paris rose from its (1982) died on Septem- 19th century ashes to ber 11, at breakfast at his become the center of favorite diner –the Metro, modernism in the 20th on New York’s Upper century. “Urbicide,” he West Side, the neighbor- argued, was essential to hood to which he had this process. been displaced from the Marshall had a great South Bronx. love for the city. I won- Just a week before, I der, did Marshall finally had shown the PBS docu- forgive Robert Moses? Marshall Berman passed away on September 11, 2013. mentary, The World that Moses Built, to my un- Remembering Marshall though his native land of dergraduate Urban Soci- Berman New York City held pride ology class at CCNY, Sharon Zukin of place in his heart. “I wonder, did pointing out the young CUNY-Brooklyn and Among urban sociolo- Marshall finally Marshall Berman with a CUNY-Graduate Center gists, Marshall is best forgive Robert brown beard and unlined Our fellow urbanist known for the polemic Moses?” brow talking about what Marshall Berman, who which forms the epilogue Robert Moses did to his died suddenly on Sep- to All That Is Solid, where beloved Bronx communi- tember 11, 2013, had a he channels Jane Ja- -Lily Hoffman ty, and telling them that towering intellect and an cobs’s love for the city they could look forward to overwhelming supply of and sharpens her attack taking a course with him, loving kindness. The on the soul-shriveling mo- a course which pulled author of the ultimate notony of urban design by “A big man, he together Marx, modern- statement on modernity focusing on one act of would always ism, urbanism, rap music, and urbanism, All That Is creative destruction per- graffiti art, French poetry, Solid Melts Into Air, Mar- embrace to say petrated by public-sector hello instead of angst both psychological shall was overwhelming builder Robert Moses: and philosophical, to in many ways.
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