 |
||
 |
 |
|
|
MA/PhD Theses Abstracts of Current Students & Alumni |
 |
|
Lewis, Harold W. 1997. An anthropological Analysis of the Development of a High Crime Area around the University of South Florida.
Abstract: Why did a suburban area adjacent
to a growing state university become the county's highest crime area?
Finding the answer to that question is the basic purpose of this study.
The research area is situated between the northern limits of the City
of Tampa and an area still quite rural in character. At its eastern edge
is the second largest university in Florida. At its western boundary
Interstate 275 separates it from a suburban, and mostly residential,
area. The majority of the housing is in good condition, having been built
in the last three decades. Although the ethnic mixture has been changing
over the last fifteen years, no one ethnic group predominates. Nothing
in the profile leads one to expect such a high crime rate. The answer
to the question is sought through analysis of two levels of culture,
the national and the local, and specifically in the interaction of three
aspects of that whole: the economic stystem, the ideology and the social
structure. Understanding the culture of the local residents is achieved
by traditional participant observation, and understanding the interaction
between the local and the wider system is achieved by reviewing the historical
development of the area in the context of national changes over at least
three decades. The participant observation consisted of living in the
area for twenty-six months and sharing in the everyday life experiences
of the residents, dealing with landlords and local merchants, observing
the criminal activity, joining the local civic organization, attending
transportation meetings, and working with county sheriff's deputies and
county social services. I interviewed residents, merchants, deputies,
and local activists. An understanding of the local history over the past
three decades developed out of interviews with resident property owners
who remain in the area. These long term residents cannot say why the
area is deteriorating economically or what makes the area conducive to
crime. They just know that the area has changed for the worse, and their
investment in local real estate seems to be at risk. The majority of
the residents in the area are not property owners. As I learned their
history, I began to see a pattern reflecting broader national data on
gender and labor, crime and social problems. In the final analysis, the
answer to the above question, why did a suburban area adjacent to a growing
state university become the county's highest crime area, lies in two
primary factors. One factor is the high ratio of residents who rent their
homes as compared to residents who own their homes. The other factor
is high male unemployment and underemployment. While neither of these
factors will be easily changed, understanding the problem is half of
finding a solution.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|