Review Righteous Dopefiend by Philippe Bourgois and Jeff Schonberg Essay

Review Righteous Dopefiend by Philippe Bourgois and Jeff Schonberg - Essay Example homeless who are always hustling for the drugs over food and shelter and evaluate the way in which this segment of society functions to create their own culture and system, specifically with the desire to have more heroin available for their use. Throughout the book, the author’s relay different segments of the homeless population to show the different functions and roles that are a part of the community. Different stories are told about the heroin users and how they work to create an aspect of society that is based on using illegal drugs. This is followed by ethnographic figures that take place through a series of photographs to show the lifestyle and conditions of the individuals that are a part of the community. Through the documents that were taken, was the ability to capture a space in society that is often regarded as morally wrong and which doesn’t account for the social truth and realities that the righteous dopefiend’s carry in culture. The main argument that the author present is to represent the homeless and the righteous dopefiend’s in a different light. The authors’ state in the beginning that the observations taken from the homeless are not regarded as one that is morally objective. Instead, the photographs and stories are an anthropological representation of culture and society. It is the authors’ desire to create a different viewpoint of the homeless that are addicted to heroin, not from a righteous or morally fit viewpoint, such as society views. Instead, the book is based on observing how the culture and society of homeless addicts functions. The book remains neutral and is not objective in observations and instead shows how the individuals survive and what they regard as important in their lives. The author combines this with evaluations from the segments of society, such as the difference between the younger addicts and the older generations. The main thesis that the authors’ are able to provide through these