Obscene Remainders: Neoliberalism and the Gang Crisis Narrative

Social scientists increasingly recognize the importance of violent non-state actors. Few political theorists, however, have examined the American street gang. My paper addresses this deficit by describing gangs as the obscene remainders of the neoliberal bargain. To begin, I examine how neoliberal discourse registers the street gang as an imaginary signifier. By situating the gang outside the promise of market prosperity, the gang crisis narrative detaches the proliferation of gangs from the cultural, economic, and spatial conditions of global capitalism. I argue this is misguided considering the increase in street gangs correlate to the specific contours of neoliberalism. For example, nations with higher levels of income inequality experience the most problems with gangs. Global capital also undermines the symbolic institutions traditionally responsible for registering well-adjusted citizens. As a result, social actors increasingly seek meaning in identities that circulate outside traditional disciplinary bodies. Furthermore, to compensate for structural exclusion, gang members often overidentify with the cultural signifiers of late capitalism. Overall, the essay urges policy-makers to challenge the gang crisis narrative and reconnect youth crime to the problem of market failure.