Timely, rich, and surprisingly nimble, Courtwright's orderly
examination of patterns of violence and disorder in American
history ranges from the "passing migratory anomalies" that created
the cultural ecology of the frontier to the critical collapse of
familial mechanisms of social control in the inner city of today.
Courtwright (History/Univ. of North Florida) marshals contemporary
reports as well as scholarly apparatus to introduce the
young/single/male societies of gold rushers and cowboys emblematic
of his thesis: that violence thrived where that demographic profile
mated with certain cultural givens (e.g., fierce ethnocentrism) and
unwholesome social norms (drinking, gambling, prostitution).
Collaterally: The spiral of commerce on the frontier made too much
law and order inexpedient, and Americans' racist contempt for the
Indians excluded the leavening restraints of (inter) marriage.
Courtwright proceeds chronologically, uncovering distributions of
disorder in tramp subcultures and among soldiers, before focusing
on American ghettos in the 1960s, where deteriorating conditions
re-created many of the elements of frontier life. But "a good
analogy, like a good argument, should not be pushed too hard":
Balancing the historian's search for consistency with the
sociologist's respect for discontinuities, Courtwright concludes
that inner-city violence is not the self-limiting, transitory
phenomenon of its soon-domesticated frontier antecedents. What with
the absence of fathers and the presence of long-term unemployment,
drugs, racism, and a street culture that has made virtues of all
kinds of vice, the domesticating influence of family is not waiting
in the wings to restore social equilibrium to the ghetto.
Nevertheless, Courtwright affirms the family as still the best
instrument of socialization ("life's script begins early"), and his
qualified "new familism" frames (without advancing, however) the
debate. This is nonetheless an authoritative contribution to that
debate, not least because of its scope; it is also intrinsically
interesting material. (Kirkus Reviews)
This book offers an explosive look at violence in America - why it
is so prevalent, and what and who are responsible. David
Courtwright takes the long view of his subject, developing the
historical pattern of violence and disorder in this country. Where
there is violent and disorderly behavior, he shows, there are
plenty of men, largely young and single. What began in the mining
camp and bunkhouse has simply continued in the urban world of
today, where many young, armed, intoxicated, honor-conscious
bachelors have reverted to frontier conditions. Violent Land
combines social science with an engrossing narrative that spans and
reinterprets the history of violence and social disorder in
America. Courtwright focuses on the origins, consequences, and
eventual decline of frontier brutality. Though these rough days
have passed, he points out that the frontier experience still looms
large in our national self-image - and continues to influence the
extent and type of violence in America as well as our collective
response to it. Broadly interdisciplinary, looking at the interplay
of biological, social, and historical forces behind the dark side
of American life, this book offers a disturbing diagnosis of
violence in our society.
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