NCJ Number
190117
Journal
Deviance and Society Volume: 24 Issue: 4 Dated: 2000 Pages: 403-423
Date Published
2000
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This article reviewed the position of drug dealing in French neighborhoods and communities currently undergoing social disassociation.
Abstract
This article focused on the position of drug dealing in territories that were undergoing social disaffiliation. It examined the socio-historical processes that account for the current configuration of the illicit drugs economy in this context. The analysis was based upon an ethnographical survey conducted in housing estates in a Paris, France suburb, and on a series of biographical interviews completed in prison with various types of participants in drug dealing. Three phases were differentiated: (1) the emergence of a local heroin and cocaine trade; (2) its professionalism; and (3) restructuring over recent years. The study provided an account of the social relationships that build up around these illegal activities, and highlighted the paradoxes of local drug dealing, both a factor of social peace and an inducement to renewed violence.