Strategic Observers in the City: How They See and What They Do

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How do people working in public settings perceive and act on danger? To answer this question, this project will conduct in-depth field observations and intensive interviews with New York City subway workers across four different job types. The goals of this project are to (1) identify how people define dangerous situations (2) what actions they take in response to danger (3) and which individuals and groups they choose to rely on for assistance in dealing with danger. This research will also examine how organizational rules and practices, and official responses shape workers understandings of and reactions to danger. For decades, scholars have studied how different individuals and groups can minimize danger and promote security by creating informal groups and networks to monitor public settings. Today, these issues take on national importance as threats of urban terror and neighborhood crime have become everyday concerns. This project will use video, photography, and other methods to enhance field observations and interviews. The project holds intellectual merit as a qualitative examination that will illustrate how organizational rules and practices, and individual strategies can encourage different responses to danger. The research has broader impacts at the policy level and for developing a theory of watching. At the policy level, the findings of this study can help policymakers develop strategies for identifying and understanding peoples surveillance and observation work in creating security and mitigating danger. The systematic study of peoples observation work can provide theoretical and analytical insight into the diverse ways people take precautions for the safety of themselves and others around them. The findings of this study will be disseminated through website posting, briefings to policy-makers and elected officials, public presentations, and scholarly journals.