Unwanted
Muslim Immigrants, Dignity, and Drug Dealing
Sandra M. Bucerius
Reviews and Awards
"This is one of the most exciting and original ethnographic studies on drug dealing I have read in a long time. It is the German counterpart of classical American studies as Philip Bourgois' In Search of Respect or Elijah Anderson's Code of the Street. The setting is not an American ghetto but a Frankfurt neighborhood in an advanced German welfare state. Bucerius has drawn on her extensive fieldwork in the neighborhood of Bockenheim to present an ethnography that explains the lifestyles and social exclusion of a group of second generation immigrants with a Muslim background that are involved in drug dealing. Her enduring fieldwork in a combination with her theoretical lenses based on Pierre Bourdieu, Mary Douglas and Max Weber offer an explanation why these young men choose to become drug dealers. It is a stunning achievement written with civic involvement, as well with academic detachment and humor." -Godfried Engbersen, Professor of Sociology, Erasmus University Rotterdam
"In the tradition of the best urban ethnographies, Unwanted provides an insightful look at the lives of second generation Muslim immigrant young men involved in Frankfurt's drug economy. Sandra Bucerius deftly navigates structure, culture, and agency, grappling with how macro-level forces in German society impact the lives of young men she describes as 'perpetual foreigners,' and how their identity work constructs meaning in the face of marginalization and crime involvement. Unwanted illuminates unique features of the German context, while offering larger lessons for scholars who seek to better understand social exclusion and its impacts. It is an important and timely contribution." -Jody Miller, Professor of Criminal Justice, Rutgers University
"Quite simply, this is a superb book. Not only does the author succeed in crafting an ethnographic text that sits alongside the best in urban sociology/anthropology, she has undertaken this from a European perspective, which all too often has played 'second fiddle' to the research produced in the United States. The results of this are striking." -British Journal of Criminology
"Unwanted presents nuanced and thick descriptions that only a truly good ethnography can extract. The Muslim immigrant drug dealers are not presented in simplistic binary categories-black-and-white, good-or-bad-or as representing a 'street code' or code of decency'. Instead, they are presented as complex and multifaceted. They are caring and rational, with a sense of humour-but can also be brutal, lazy and demonstrate a deeply inconsistent approach to life. Bucerius has written a gripping and thought-provoking book based on truly remarkable fieldwork that I recommend to anyone interested in good ethnography." -Sveinung Sandberg, Theoretical Criminology
"Unwanted is a welcome contribution. It uncovers the ways in which the subjects--despite their rejection by and of mainstream German society--have developed a German identity rooted in their neighborhood - an identification that serves as an indicator of cultural assimilation and, as Bucerius suggests, offers a pathway toward structural integration. The author has set the stage for an important follow-up to confirm whether and how that integration has taken place." -American Journal of Sociology
"Unwanted contributes a fascinating empirical addition to comparative literature examining the marginalization and institutionalized discrimination experienced by many immigrants. This study provides a longitudinal and personal account of the experiences of Turkish noncitizen drug dealers in Bockenheim. The study addresses important policy implications including changes in citizenship laws, the education system, and policing practices to name just a few. The inclusion of the personal, shared experiences of those struggling with inequality and discrimination presents not only a voice for the disadvantaged but a deeper comprehension of the plights of Muslim immigrants in Germany as well." -Criminal Justice Review
"Bucerius introduces us to the unexplored lives of Turkish drug dealers in Frankfurt, Germany. She takes readers on a fascinating journey, where Turkish drug dealers negotiate drug deals, construct and reproduce gender inequalities, define criminal status hierarchies, and achieve legitimacy in the social world. And this social world is a German one, where Turkish immigrants are told that they are unwanted-that they do not belong. Bucerius illuminates this world through daring fieldwork with a socio-historical grounding that yields novel results which challenge the existing research." -Randol Contreras, Theoretical Criminology
