Villa Victoria: The Transformation of Social Capital in a Boston Barrio

by Mario Luis Small

For decades now, scholars and politicians alike have argued that the concentration of poverty in city housing projects would produce distrust, alienation, apathy, and social isolation—the disappearance of what sociologists call social capital. But relatively few have examined precisely how such poverty affects social capital or have considered for what reasons living in a poor neighborhood results in such undesirable effects.

This book examines a neglected Puerto Rican enclave in Boston to consider the pros and cons of social scientific thinking about the true nature of ghettos in America. Mario Luis Small dismantles the theory that poor urban neighborhoods are inevitably deprived of social capital. He shows that the conditions specified in this theory are vaguely defined and variable among poor communities. According to Small, structural conditions such as unemployment or a failed system of familial relations must be acknowledged as affecting the urban poor, but individual motivations and the importance of timing must be considered as well.

Brimming with fresh theoretical insights, Villa Victoria is an elegant work of sociology that will be essential to students of urban poverty.

Genres: Sociology, Nonfiction, Urban Studies, Social Science, Race

246 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2004

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

So to preface this review: I am not a sociologist, so I am reviewing this from an architecture student’s perspective instead, which is probably why this book did not blow my mind. Also, this book was already outdated in some aspects when it was published, and is certainly more so today. That said, I did still find it interesting to read. It got off to a bit of a rough start, with the opening chapter on existing methods of study going over my head. I also struggled with the history chapter, since I felt it lacked greater historical and Boston context. But the actual chapters on the author’s findings were interesting. I learned a lot about the neighborhood and started to understand the sociology. I appreciated how the author criticized typical methods and assumptions and used the Villa to do so. I also appreciated how imbedded he became in the community during his study, and the respect he showed for it as a result. The actual conclusion in terms of application to sociology as a whole went a bit over my head. So while this was a bit outdated, I still found it interesting.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an academic book that has some interesting history about Boston's South End. It is not light reading, but it is a well-researched and well-written discussion about social capital and social isolation in a small affordable housing development nestled in one of Boston's wealthier neighborhoods.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Down to earth sociology. Ethnography with rigorous analysis.

[Irwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically a sociology textbook, but I took from it what I could.

[kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

a little academic for what i'm doing right now (should have read it when lang recommended i read it during school), but still interesting and well-written. and making me think hard about how affordable housing funding encourages you to segregate the low-income units.