Moore, Joan W.: Homeboys and Homegirls in the Barrio

John M. Hagedorn

The main contributions of Joan W. Moore's research on barrios and gangs in East Los Angeles were her community-focused approach and her unique collaborative methodology. Unlike most studies of gangs by criminologists, Moore's community studies understood gangs, drugs, and prison as integral components of a barrio/ghetto system. Her attention to the role of women in the gang and her collaborative methodology have set a largely unmatched standard in the field. She is one of the few women to do research with gangs, and one of the few social scientists to sustain research in specific neighborhoods over decades. Moore earned her M.A. from the University of Chicago in 1953 and her Ph.D. in 1959. Everett Hughes's courses on field research would make a lasting impact on her and would lead her to construct her perspective on gangs inductively through empirical research. Her studies at Chicago included courses by Lloyd Warner, Peter ...

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