Renegade Dreams: Living Through Injury in Gangland Chicago

Content warning: This section of the guide discusses gang-related violence, drug abuse, and police violence.

Laurence Ralph’s ethnographic study goes beyond the physical interpretation of injury, reflecting on the psychological, social, and economic traumas that affect the lives of Eastwood residents. Ralph discusses how injuries, whether physical or figurative, are not isolated incidents but are embedded in the structural violence of Eastwood’s environment. Physical injuries, resulting from gang violence or accidents, are tangible manifestations of the realities of street life. However, Ralph also illustrates how systemic failures—such as inadequate healthcare, housing, and educational opportunities—inflict deeper, more permanent wounds on the community. These systemic injuries hinder personal and collective growth, perpetuating cycles of poverty and violence.

At the same time, Ralph also discusses how these very injuries can be sources of empowerment. Using specific examples, such as the characters of Justin and Amy, Ralph shows that injuries can become catalysts for community solidarity, activism, and personal transformation. The acts of resilience that Justin and Amy exemplify are both coping methods and forms of protest against the systemic injustices that contribute to the community’s hardships. Justin is an ex-gang member who became disabled after a gang-related shooting. His injury is physical and affects his entire life.