BUVoice.com

The Voice

BUVoice.com

The Voice

BUVoice.com

The Voice

Code of decency: Dr. Elijah Anderson discusses today’s race relations and civility

Yale sociologist and urban ethnographer Dr. Elijah Anderson returned to Bloomsburg University to present the key points of his latest book, “The Cosmopolitan Canopy: Race and Civility in Everyday Life.”

He delivered his keynote speech in Carver Hall’s K.S. Gross Auditorium on Oct. 4 as part of the College of Liberal Arts (COLA) Symposium.
Anderson’s books have made him one of the nation’s most respected scholars in the field of urban inequality.

His publications include “Code of the Street: Decency, Violence, and the Moral Life of the Inner City,” winner of the 2000 Komarovsky Award from the Eastern Sociological Association; “Streetwise: Race, Class, and Change in an Urban Community,” winner of the American Sociological Association’s Robert E. Park award for the best published book in the area of Urban Sociology and the classic sociological work, “A Place on the Corner: A Study of Black Street Corner Men.”

Anderson described himself as having a precocious attitude and an ambition for sociology from a young age.

He applied for his first job in a typewriter store when he was only 12, and continued to work there until he graduated from high school. It was during this time that Anderson began to wonder what he wanted to do with his life.

“I had friends who were great athletes and received scholarships. I couldn’t keep up with them so I began to hit the books; I did a total flip” he said.
Anderson began dedicating his time to improving his studies and was reading at grade levels well above his own.

He attended Indiana University of Bloomington and graduated in 1969, after which he attended the University of Chicago and worked for his masters.
Anderson holds education as an important theme in his life, and he believes his teachers are part of the reason for his success.

Anderson feels lucky to have had influential teachers in his life such as Dr. Howard Becker, who was Anderson’s mentor as he completed his Ph.D. at Northwestern University and wrote his first book: “A Place on the Corner: A Study of Black Street Corner Men.”

“It’s important to have good teachers, not only for how they relate to you but also by the examples they set” he said.

His most recent publication has been completed through field work in Philadelphia where he developed his idea for “The Cosmopolitan Canopy.”
The canopy can be described as “an island of racial civility located in a sea of segregated living.” As Dr. Anderson explained, it’s an area where people of all ages, races, religions and genders can coexist in a peaceful way.

Many students who live on BU’s diverse campus experience the cosmopolitan canopy every day, making this a powerful message for them to hear.
The concept of “The Cosmopolitan Canopy” was evolved over many years in Center City Philadelphia, specifically Rittenhouse Square and the Reading Terminal Market.

It was there that Anderson was able to observe the canopy and take field notes for his study. “This systematic study of culture is about apprehending, comprehending, understanding, and then representing local knowledge with accuracy” he explained.

Anderson spent much of his time perceiving how people interacted with each other despite ethnic differences.  

“I enjoy what I do, there is intrinsic satisfaction found in doing this work” Anderson said, who never let his passion waver and concluded the night with questions from the audience.

His outstanding presentation left many with an insightful look upon urban inequality. “The questions are more important than the answers,” Anderson said, encouraging students to ask deeper and more extensive questions in order to get a better understanding of the professions they wish to study.

 

Leave a Comment
More to Discover
About the Contributor
Abigail Ferrier, Author

Comments (0)

All The Voice Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *