Street Culture and Social Control in Different Types of High Schools in Working-Class and Immigrant Neighborhoods in France

Abstract

This article analyzes the causes of the disorder and indiscipline in high schools situated in working-class and immigrant districts in France, taking into account both adolescent street culture and social control in schools. Based on three long-term ethnographic research projects in three locations and social contexts, this article highlights the evolution of order and discipline in high schools, showing differences between France and Brazil. Breaking away from the classic themes of failure, inequalities, and exclusion in schools, I focus on the specific characteristics of adolescent relationships on one hand, and the institutional aspects of social control on the other, focusing particularly on the daily work of supervisory staff in high schools.