Unwanted: Muslim Immigrants, Dignity, and Drug Dealing

by Sandra M. Bucerius

The immigration of Muslims to Europe and the integration of later generations presents many challenges to European societies. Unwanted builds on five years of ethnographic research with a group of fifty-five second-generation Muslim immigrant drug dealers in Frankfurt, Germany to examine the relationship between immigration, social exclusion, and the informal economy. Having spent countless hours with these young men, hanging out in the streets, in cafes or bars and at the local community center, Sandra Bucerius explores the intimate aspects of one of the most discriminated and excluded populations in Germany. Bucerius looks at how the young men negotiate their participation in the drug market while still trying to adhere to their cultural and religious obligations and how they struggle to find a place within German society. The young men considered their involvement in the drug trade a response to their exclusion at the same time that it provides a means of forging an identity
and a place within German society. The insights into the lives, hopes, and dreams of these young men, who serve as an example for many Muslim and otherwise marginalized immigrant youth groups in Western countries, provides the context necessary to understand their actions while never obscuring the many contradictory facets of their lives.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Yusuf · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating ethnography on the lives of German-Muslim second-generation drug dealers. Taking you on an enjoyable tour in the streets of Frankfurt and specifically Bockenhaim. It has a gripping story, vivid and strong characters, and theoretical tools to explain daily encounters that you read. I can go on and on to praise this book, but in a nutshell, this is a book that every ethnographer dreams to write.

[Wout Heuer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boek voor school, was best interessant eigenlijk