In the 1950s musical, Westside Story, the role of psychiatrists, social workers, jurists and criminologists in defining juvenile delinquency is highlighted in the song "Officer Krupke." In it, the contending views of children and deviance are observed through the eyes of the young "delinquent" as a bizarre and value-laden construction. This tale tells us more about the confused state of professional attitudes in the post-World War II period than we might immediately recognize for it was during this period that the nation's professionals first faced the reality of two separate but intertwined demographic events: the mass migration of African-Americans and Puerto Ricans into the northern industrial cities and the arrival of American Jews as highly significant actors in the fields of medicine, psychiatry, social work, and education. In this paper we look at the contention over professional boundaries, Jewish-Black relationships, and ideas about delinquency as these two groups defined themselves and each other through a popular and professional discourse.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.