This chapter talks about urban structure and institutions. Wirth's approach on urbanism as a way of life was challenged by Anthropologists These anthropologists carried out researches in cities beyond America. We figured out that living in cities-whether Africa or Latin america it could be positive process for people.
Careful research in large and small cities around the world has shown that urban structures and institutions in these places are critical to the success or failure people encounter in cities. One of the first and most influential studies to reveal the powerful impact of urban structure belonged to Oscar Lewis. He demonstrated how social structure and institution especially family help people adapt to urban life.
The cultrure of poverty is both an adaption and a reaction of the poor to their marginal position in a class -stratified , highly individuated capitalistic society. The culture of poverty , however is not only adaption to a set of objective conditions of the larger society. Most frequently the culture of poverty develops when a stratified social and economic system is breaking down or is being replaced by another as in the case of the transition from feudalism to capitalism or during periods of rapid technological change,
I learned about the culture of poverty. I learned how Oscar Lewis played an important role in exploring Urban Life. Anthropologists argued Wirth's meaning of Urban Life. Also I learned that the future of poverty is in question.
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