UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations

UCLA UCLA Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Jugadores del parque: Immigrants, play, and the creation of social ties Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6k3748jw Author Trouille, David Publication Date 2013 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Jugadores del parque: Immigrants, play, and the creation of social ties A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology by David Alexander Trouille ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION Jugadores del parque: Immigrants, play, and the creation of social ties by David Alexander Trouille Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology University of California, Los Angeles, 2013 Professor Jack Katz, Chair This dissertation examines the social uses and meanings of a public park for a group of primarily working-class Latino immigrant men who regularly gather there to socialize and play soccer. Based on over five years of in-depth participant observation, the findings shed light on the men’s everyday experiences in and away from the park and uncover social processes and human concerns that resonate well beyond the particulars of the case. Specifically, the dissertation shows how a group of primarily immigrant men make and sustain social ties through their regular involvement in park life. The social life of the park works effectively as a site of network formation and resource exchange because it is made fun, compelling, and revealing. The findings show that people require shared commitments, in this case, a fascination with soccer and beer drinking, to create new relations. These emergent qualities not only bring the men together and break down boundaries between them, but help them develop trust in one another over time. With greater knowledge and confidence, the men ii are more willing to network and exchange resources, a key way they make ends meet. As opposed to seeing networks emanating from pre-existing ties, this study shows how the men manufacture a basis and foundation for networking and making new ties in their everyday lives. These men—their histories, experiences, and concerns—are developed in the dissertation chapters. Like a cubist painting, the chapters offer different slices and perspectives on park life and beyond, especially employment relations. Together, they paint a portrait of how group life at the park is made meaningful and transcendent in ways that affect the men’s personal relationships and life chances. Along the way, the project aims to better specify how migrants form and sustain new ties in new places, paying special attention to the meaning and organization of sports and public parks in generating social connections and resource exchanges over time. The findings encourage migration scholars to look more carefully at the contingent and social nature of network formation and to examine less traditional research sites of interaction and meaning making. iii The dissertation of David Alexander Trouille is approved. Roger Waldinger Stefan Timmermans Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris Jack Katz, Committee Chair University of California, Los Angeles 2013 iv For Maureen, Marcel, and Alana v Table of Contents Introduction “Jugadores del parque” 1 Chapter One Men at play 43 Chapter Two Neighborhood outsiders, field insiders 78 Chapter Three Drinking in the park 112 Chapter Four Working connections 140 Chapter Five Fencing the field 169 Conclusion Creating community and social ties 198 References 223 vi List of Figures Figures 1-47 Photographs from the field 204 vii Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank the many “jugadores del parque” who participated in this study. This dissertation would not have been possible without their willingness to let me observe and experience the social world of the park. I reserve special thanks to the men who shared their life histories with me and those that tolerated my incessant questioning and presence beyond the park. What results is my attempt to convey and give justice to what the men confront and create in their daily lives. I was certainly not immune to the appeal and excitement of the park and it is with considerable sadness that I leave the area. While the men will always be in my heart, I hope my relationships with them does not end here. I also thank the various local residents, park activists, city employees, and local politicians who met with me to share their views and experiences with the park. Though some may disagree with part of my analysis, I hope they all recognize that my dissertation was carried out with the best intentions. My wife and two young children played a direct role in this research as well. So let me also thank them for their willingness to join me in my fieldwork, which generally involved hanging out with the men in the park or on nearby soccer fields for Sunday league games. My wife also graciously shared resources and opened our home to many of the men over the years. Her warm presence and shadow helped me develop fuller relationships with the men. My two children, born during years two and four of fieldwork, played a similar role. My position as a husband and father considerably shaped the progression of this project and I hope they all see their imprint and contributions in the pages that follow. Much more than resources to conduct fieldwork, my wife, son, and daughter provided me with the love and encouragement I needed to complete this project. It was not always smooth viii sailing, problems sometimes associated with the park, but they never stopped supporting me. A special debt of gratitude and appreciation is reserved for my wife who not only tolerated my time in the park, but left her family and country to join me in Los Angeles. For all these reasons, I dedicate this dissertation to Maureen, Marcel, and Alana. I cannot begin to thank them enough. The Sociology Department at UCLA has been a welcoming and stimulating academic environment to pursue my research. Principally, I owe much of my development as a sociologist and ethnographer to Jack Katz. While whatever fault lies in this dissertation is my own, it would have followed a very different path if not for his insight and creativity. I benefited enormously from Professor Katz’s tutelage and I am very grateful for his inspiration and guidance on this project. Whereas Professor Katz was my fiercest critic, Roger Waldinger proved to be my biggest champion. Professor Waldinger saw promise and potential in the project well before I did. As with Professor Katz, his intellect and scholarship are unparalleled. It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to have been trained by Professors Katz and Waldinger. I thank them both for their unwavering faith and support. I had the good fortune of learning from many other professors at UCLA. In particular, Stefan Timmermans served a guiding role throughout my years of graduate study. In addition, I thank Robert Emerson as well as Rubén Hernández-León, Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris, Jeffrey Prager, Rogers Brubaker, Min Zhou, Rebecca Emigh, Ching Kwan Lee, Megan Sweeney, David Halle, Edward Walker, and Stefan Bargheer. I also thank Christina Gómez who first introduced me to the power of the sociological imagination and has continued to support and encourage me years after I left her dynamic classroom. ix I reserve much of my thanks to my fellow graduate school students. Our innumerable discussions about research and fieldwork were a tremendous source of inspiration and support. In particular, I thank all the students associated with the Ethnography Work Group, especially Michael De Land, my twin “sport sociologist.” Iddo Tavory and Jooyoung Lee were important role models during my first years of graduate school and they graciously continued to mentor me after they left. Caitlin Patler and Elena Shih were also instrumental figures during my graduate studies. I also thank Thomas Soehl, as well as Benjamin Gebre-Medhin, Jonathan Gordon, and Reginald Laing. Finally, I thank the many undergraduate students at UCLA I had the pleasure of teaching and learning from. My dissertation is the product of my personal relationships, but was made possible because of various funding opportunities. Most were provided by UCLA in the form of fellowships and teaching positions. For this material and administrative support, I thank this wonderful public institution and hope that it can continue to prosper in uncertain times. I also thank UC-Mexus for providing helpful financial support at the conclusion of the project. Finally, I thank my wonderful family. Above all, I express my deepest gratitude to my parents. I am an academic because of my mother. From an early age, she instilled in me a passion for knowledge and scholarship, a path set forth by her pioneering mother. My father, who has his own immigrant story to tell, showed me the value of hard work and determination, skills and sensibilities that helped me become an academic. Together, they also provided the real and symbolic safety net that allowed me to focus my energies on being a student over many years of study. My dissertation is the end result of my parents’ unconditional love and support, for which I am forever grateful. I also thank my two amazing sisters and their families for their love, support, and good humor. My wife’s family members were additional sources of affection x and levity during my graduate studies. In particular, I thank Doña Olga. This dissertation would not have been possible without her. Gracias! xi Vita EDUCATION 2009 M.A. Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles 2006 M.A. Social Sciences, University of Chicago 2005 M.S.T. Education, Fordham University 2002 B.A. Sociology, Dartmouth College PUBLICATIONS 2013 “Neighborhood outsiders, field insiders: Latino immigrant men and the control of public space.” Qualitative Sociology 36:1-22.

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