{"id":1488,"date":"2021-08-02T16:47:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-02T23:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/would-be-gangster-guru-explores-the-roots-of-gang-culture\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T21:44:11","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T04:44:11","slug":"anthropology-professor-gangster-guru-shatters-stereotypes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/anthropology-professor-gangster-guru-shatters-stereotypes\/","title":{"rendered":"Would be \u2018gangster guru\u2019 explores the roots of gang culture"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                                    \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3524-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/04\/story-3524-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Would be \u2018gangster guru\u2019 explores the roots of gang culture\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Gangs often use graffiti to identify their territory in the poor, immigrant and minority communities where they tend to live. (Image Source: iStock\/eugenesergeev.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=student\">Student<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>Would be \u2018gangster guru\u2019 explores the roots of gang culture<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  In his summer course, an anthropology professor who was embedded with the notorious MS-13 gang for 16 years shatters stereotypes behind urban gangs. <strong>[7\u00be min read]<\/strong>\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Susan Bell<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">August 2, 2021<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 4.0350275 0 1.5167124.60096154 2.9475732 1.68841575 4.0350274 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>Thomas Ward, associate professor (teaching) of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/anth\/\">anthropology<\/a>\u00a0at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, kicks off his summer course in \u201cCross-Cultural Research on Urban Gangs\u201d (ANTH 371mg) with a joke.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHave you heard about the Beverly Hills Crips?\u201d he quips, creating an unlikely juxtaposition in his students\u2019 imaginations between one of the most feared gangs in Los Angeles and one of the city\u2019s most exclusive neighborhoods.<\/p>\n<p>Obviously, it\u2019s an oxymoron. But why?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell,\u201d Ward says, \u201cas soon as you start unraveling that cord \u2014 no poverty, the level of policing in the area \u2014 it becomes clear that the environment wouldn\u2019t support that kind of subcultural grouping.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So, where do you find gangs? In poor, immigrant and minority communities, Ward says, where people struggle to survive. The desperate need for some kind of social support is a key reason many get involved in gangs. Others join for excitement, to appear cool or to be accepted, to be part of a group. Indeed, the common analogy, Ward notes, is that street gangs are a surrogate family \u2014 if a highly dysfunctional one.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBeing a gang member is a fallback. It\u2019s\u00a0something\u00a0you do because of the environment you\u2019re growing up in \u2014 usually because there is some social dysfunction in your family, school, community or neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ward knows what he\u2019s talking about. He has spent more than 20 years studying street gangs, particularly the notorious Salvadoran Mara Salvatrucha gang, commonly known as MS-13. For 16 of those years, he tracked gang members, recording his research in his book\u00a0<em>Gangsters Without Borders: An Ethnography of a Salvadoran Street Gang\u00a0<\/em>(Oxford University Press, 2012)<i>.<\/i><\/p>\n<h2>\u201cAre you trying to get me killed?\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>Ward became interested in gang culture after volunteering at El Rescate (The Rescue), a social services agency for Central American refugees in downtown L.A. After completing his doctoral dissertation on \u201cThe Psychological and Social Adaptation of Salvadoran Refugees\u201d at UCLA, Ward was looking for a new research project when his advisor suggested he check out what was then a little-known gang, MS-13.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said, \u2018Bob, are you trying to get me killed?\u2019\u201d Ward recalls. \u201cAt that point, I knew zero about street gangs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, he was intrigued and started asking his Salvadoran contacts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was flabbergasted because not only did they know a lot about the gang, many of the people that I knew had family or friends who were in the gang or were former gang members.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Two men Ward had known for seven years admitted they were former gang members.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey said, \u2018If you\u2019re serious, we\u2019ll take you into the barrio and introduce you to our fellow gang members.\u2019 Then it was up to me to establish rapport. That was much harder. I knew it was going be difficult, but if I had known how difficult, I might not have done the research.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ward says it took over a year of persistent effort to finally get the gang members to accept him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot only was I twice their age, but I was a gringo, white, male adult, and they just assumed that I was an undercover cop. Even though I knew people in the community who vouched for me, it took me a long time to get them to trust and accept me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, Ward\u2019s research focus has switched to gang prevention and intervention. In 2017, he launched a pilot program to teach meditation to aspiring gang members through the City of Los Angeles Mayor\u2019s Office of Gang Reduction and Youth Development.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf it were not for the [COVID-19] quarantine, I might be in El Salvador interviewing gang members or studying with Tibetan Buddhist Monks on a meditation retreat in Nepal,\u201d Ward says of his twin passions for street gangs and meditation, adding that he hopes his gang intervention work will enable him to one day become a guru to gangsters, helping them find positive alternatives to the street life and peace of mind.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/migration-uploads\/Ward_InStoryA-3524.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"900\" height=\"580\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thomas Ward, associate professor (teaching) of anthropology, has spent more than 20 years studying street gangs. (Photo: Eddie North-Hager.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Seeing gang culture through many eyes<\/h2>\n<p>Ward\u2019s five-week online summer course offered 20 students an intensive version of his Spring semester course, which usually has an enrollment of upwards of 100 students.<\/p>\n<p>In the United States, urban gangs are often associated with L.A., particularly through movies and television. \u201cSo, this is an ideal location, in a sense,\u201d says Ward of the popularity of his course. \u201cNot only are students learning about gang subculture, they\u2019re also learning about the city where they\u2019re living.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ward provides historical context on the evolution of gangs in the U.S. Invited guest speakers to the class include former gang members, L.A. Police and L.A. County Sheriff\u2019s Department officers, prosecutors, social workers, and Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest who is the founder and director of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/homeboyindustries.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Homeboy Industries<\/a>, a gang intervention and rehabilitation program. Ward also provides students with contact details for former gang members who are willing to be interviewed about their gang experiences.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe idea is to give them not only the point of view of these former gang members, but also access to them,\u201d Ward says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want students to have not just the perspectives of law enforcement or social workers, but multiple points of view so that they can triangulate information to get the bigger picture and can make up their own minds about what gang subculture is about.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Shattering stereotypes<\/h2>\n<p>Ward says the most important aspect of his class is to inform students about the reality of gang life and to disabuse them of numerous misconceptions about street gangs they have picked up from television shows, movies, news reports and documentaries. He says these inaccurate representations perpetuate stereotypes by portraying gangs in the most dramatic light possible in order to drive up viewership.<\/p>\n<p>In particular, Ward denounces Hollywood\u2019s portrayal of gangs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll these movies are terrible because they perpetuate the stereotype that all gang members are the same: They\u2019re all criminals, they\u2019re all violent, they\u2019re all cold-blooded killers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The reality is much more nuanced \u2014 and much more boring, Ward says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost gang members are not violent. The most common activity is hanging out on a street corner doing nothing, just sitting around talking, drinking beer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ward also stresses that most gang members are not life-long gangsters. Most only remain active in the gang for a year or two.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s only the hardcore gang members who make a career out of it and are actively dedicated to the gang, spending years participating in crime and violence. They represent only 5% to 10% of gang members. More than 90% of gang members are actually not doing very much.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Don\u2019t believe the hype<\/h2>\n<p>Ward says if there\u2019s one thing he wants his students to take away from his course, it would be the fact that street gang subculture is extremely complex, that no two gangs are alike and also that no two gang members are exactly alike.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of diversity and heritage in a gang,\u201d he says. \u201cJust because you see a report on the news about one particular gang member, don\u2019t extrapolate from that story and think it represents a large swathe of what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Alumna Alicia Cass is\u00a0one of the guest speakers in Ward\u2019s course who defies many of the stereotypes. Cass is a former Crips member who joined the gang when she was just 13.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had experienced\u00a0trauma\u00a0by the time I was 4,\u201d Cass says. \u201cBeing in and out of the\u00a0foster care system, I was looking for protection, belonging\u00a0and a family.\u00a0I found that in the gang.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cass left the Crips at age 26 after a close friend was killed and signed up for classes at Long Beach City College, obtained her high school diploma and was accepted as an undergraduate at USC. At the time, she was raising her six children.<\/p>\n<p>After earning a bachelor\u2019s degree in sociology from USC Dornsife in 2004 and a master\u2019s degree in social work from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/dworakpeck.usc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work<\/a>\u00a0in 2007 \u2014 by which time she was mother to eight children \u2014 she is now planning to resume her pursuit of a Ph.D. at the latter.<\/p>\n<p>She is the founder of The Metamorphosis Experience, a nonprofit that assists women, girls and youth with trauma loss and grief, and the author of the self-published\u00a0<i>Metamorphosis: The Butterfly Experience<\/i>\u00a0(SEP, 2016).<\/p>\n<p>Cass got involved with Ward\u2019s course initially as a student and says she became a guest speaker because \u201ca woman\u2019s\u00a0voice was always missing\u00a0when it came to gang involvement.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her key message to students, she says, is that trauma and more underlying trauma is the backdrop to life in a gang and that gangs mirror society.<\/p>\n<p>Mirna Solorzano, who was in a gang for eight years after joining when she was just 11, also speaks to Ward\u2019s class.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy cousin and other people I knew were part of a gang and they treated me like their own family, and that\u2019s where I decided to join. I had two families, my blood family and the hood family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She met Ward while working in gang intervention and prevention.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are not those monsters or hoodlums who are portrayed on the news. We have families, kids, and we also want to achieve\u00a0more than what we have in our lives,\u201d says Solorzano, who is now a freelance paralegal and provides human resources support.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are smart, very resourceful, passionate, and we love and protect our families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/los-angeles-service-academy-thrives-with-donor-support\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Young Angelenos come to understand and shape their city by exploring it<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/los-angeles-resilient-in-face-of-disaster\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >L.A. consistently proves resilient in the face of disaster<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/public-exchange-urban-trees-initiative-plants-first-trees\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >A tree grows in LA: Urban Trees Initiative achieves its first planting<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In his summer course, an anthropology professor who was embedded with the notorious MS-13 gang for 16 years shatters stereotypes behind urban gangs. <strong>[7\u00be min read]<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":1491,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[51,24,17],"tags":[129,143,406],"class_list":["post-1488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-social-impact","category-student","tag-anthropology","tag-faculty","tag-general-education"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Would be \u2018gangster guru\u2019 explores the roots of gang culture<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In his summer course, an anthropology professor who was embedded with the notorious MS-13 gang for 16 years shatters stereotypes behind urban gangs. [7\u00be min read]\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/anthropology-professor-gangster-guru-shatters-stereotypes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Would be \u2018gangster guru\u2019 explores the roots of gang culture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In his summer course, an anthropology professor who was embedded with the notorious MS-13 gang for 16 years shatters stereotypes behind urban gangs. 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