An exceptional ethnography marked by clarity and candor, Sidewalk takes us into the socio-cultural environment of those who, though often seen as threatening or unseemly, work day after day on “the blocks” of one of New York’s most diverse neighborhoods. Sociologist Duneier, author of Slim’s Table, offers an accessible and compelling group portrait of several poor black men who make their livelihoods on the sidewalks of Greenwich Village selling secondhand goods, panhandling, and scavenging books and magazines.
Duneier spent five years with these individuals, and in Sidewalk he argues that, contrary to the opinion of various city officials, they actually contribute significantly to the order and well-being of the Village. An important study of the heart and mind of the street, Sidewalk also features an insightful afterword by longtime book vendor Hakim Hasan. This fascinating study reveals today’s urban life in all its complexity: its vitality, its conflicts about class and race, and its surprising opportunities for empathy among strangers.

作者利用同乡之便，深入位于北京城乡结合部的“浙江村”全面深入地了解了“浙江村”的形成、结构、运作、变迁，用大量第一手的材料，描述了“浙江村”与周边村镇，政府部门，大中型国有商业企业的互动，分析了在深刻而巨大的社会变迁中，方方面面面临的危机和挑战以及他们的对策。
本书选材新颖、内容丰富、视角独特、涉及的问题既深且广，堪称有前中国改革开放二十年来触及社会和人民心理深层变革的佳作。