The Urban Black Community as Network: Toward A Social Network Perspective

The social organization of Afro-American urban communities has often been viewed in a negative manner. As an alternative to traditional approaches to urban social organization that stress “pathology,” a network analytic perspective is developed. Drawing on the work of Barry Wellman, the author reconceptualizes the “community question” in network terms and examines it empirically, using survey data about the personal networks of 352 blacks who live in three Los Angeles metropolitan neighborhoods. The results contradict the stereotypical view of urban black communities.