John Hagedorn (d.)
Former Professor Emeritus, Criminology, Law, and Justice
Former James J. Stukel Faculty Fellow, Great Cities Institute
About
The late John Hagedorn, Ph.D., was a James J. Stukel Fellow with the Great Cities Institute and Professor Emeritus of Criminology, Law, and Justice at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Hagedorn’s first book, People & Folks: Gangs, Crime, and the Underclass in a Rustbelt City, argued for more jobs than jails and applied William Julius Wilson’s underclass theory to gangs. He was the architect of a neighborhood-based, family-centered social service reform in Milwaukee that became the subject of his dissertation, later published as Forsaking Our Children. He also co-edited (with Meda Chesney-Lind) Female Gangs in America: Essays on Girls, Gangs, and Gender, the only edited volume published in the United States focused on female gangs.
His interest in Chicago gangs led him to closely study the history of the Vice Lords and the central role of race in shaping urban dynamics. His global travels further informed his scholarship, culminating in his edited volume Gangs in the Global City, based on an international conference at the Great Cities Institute. He served as Principal Investigator of a Harry F. Guggenheim Foundation study at the Institute examining why Chicago’s homicide rate did not decline in the same way as New York City’s. In 2007, he argued that the decision to demolish public housing without equivalent reinvestment was a significant factor associated with persistent violence.
In A World of Gangs, Hagedorn drew on Manuel Castells’ work to analyze gangs, emphasizing the importance of cultural identity and social struggle. His final book, The In$ane Chicago Way, offered a historical examination of gangs, organized crime, and political corruption in Chicago.
To view the full event video honoring the life and work of the late John Hagedorn, please visit:
Click Here to See Event Info and Video
Those who wish to honor his legacy may also consider making a contribution to the John Hagedorn Memorial Fund:
Click Here to Donate
Selected Publications
A World of Gangs: Armed Young Men and Gangsta Culture. Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press. 2008.
Forsaking Our Children: Bureaucracy and Reform in the Child Welfare System, Chicago, Lakeview Press, 1995.
People And Folks: Gangs, Crime and the Underclass in a Rustbelt City, with Perry Macon. Chicago, Lakeview Press, 1988; 1998.
Education
PhD, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
Selected Presentations
Gangs and Culture. Keynote Address to the Midwest Gang Conference. Madison, WI May 2009.
“The history of gangs in Chicago.” Lecture to the Chicago Freedom School. Chicago. 2007.
“Race and Class in Chicago.” Address at the School of the Chicago Art Institute. Chicago. 1997.