Hi,

Important more general theoretical literature about this aspect of
groups (not the male bonding, but the bonding and the diverse sides
of solidarity) is :

Lindenberg, S. (1998). Solidarity: its microfoundations and macro-
dependence. A framing approach, in P. Doreian and Fararo,
T.J. (eds.), The Problem of Solidarity: Theories and Models.
Amsterdam: Gordon and Breach: 61-112.

Lindenberg, S. (1997). Grounding groups in theory: functional,
cognitive, and structural interdpedencies, in Advances in Group
Processes Vol.14. Greenwich CT:JAI Press: 281-331.

Cheerio,

Tom

On 10 Jun 02, at 7:23,  you  <Geoffrey Williams <[log in to unmask]>> wrote:

Date sent:              Mon, 10 Jun 2002 07:23:14 -0700
Send reply to:          Geoffrey Williams <[log in to unmask]>
From:                   Geoffrey Williams <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:                the social capital of street gangs and juntas
To:                     [log in to unmask]

> Having been doing background reading on issues of
> social capital and development, it seems to me there
> are certain structures that could be described as the
> weeds of social capital - networks that form when no
> other forms of cooperation are present, and that then
> take control, strangling more benign structures.
> Examples include youth gangs, rogue military units,
> the mafia and bandits.  They come in many different
> styles, but with a similar underlying structure -
> essentially a group of men, with very strong
> within-group bonds, and a predatory or hostile view of
> outsiders.
>
> The linchpin of these structures seems to me to be
> male bonding - by which I mean, the ability of men
> under pressure to form extremely strong bonds of trust
> and cooperation with each other and then act
> aggressively against others outside the group. Other
> forms of cooperation and networking are slower to
> form, and so get pushed aside in periods of chaos or
> uncertainty.  The process could almost be compared
> with chemical reactions (here I have to fall back on
> my limited high school chemistry) - certain types of
> bonds between atoms are very quick to form, others are
> slower and less likely to happen, and the relative
> strengths dictate the resulting compounds.
>
> Could anybody recommend further reading along these
> lines? Especially research that looks at male bonding
> and social networks.
>
> Best,
>
> Geoffrey Williams
>
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Tom A.B. Snijders
ICS
Dept. of Statistics and Measurement Theory.
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