"I Had No Choice:" A Theoretical Examination of Cultural Pressures in Organized Street Gangs

• In Event: Demystifying Gangs: Examining Gangs, Peers, and Culture

Abstract

Gangs have often been dismissed as unworthy of serious academic investigation, reducing them to mere criminal enterprises rather than complex social structures. Existing scholarship predominantly focuses on socioeconomic and criminological determinants of gang membership, overlooking the complex and often misunderstood role of culture in shaping individual choices. Culture is not an incidental backdrop but a force that dictates the rules of survival, loyalty, and identity within gang structures. It operates invisibly yet powerfully, constraining perceived choices and reinforcing systemic cycles of violence and exclusion. Despite its centrality, culture remains inadequately theorized in mainstream gang research. This presentation challenges prevailing frameworks by foregrounding cultural pressures as a fundamental determinant of gang affiliation and behavior. By extending existing theories and introducing new analytical measures, this research seeks to illuminate the ways in which cultural imperatives shape recruitment, hierarchy, and persistence in organized street gangs. In doing so, it reframes the discourse on agency, coercion, and inevitability in the lives of gang involved individuals, demanding a more meticulous understanding of the intersection between culture and criminality.

Author

• Marvin Mcchriston, University of Texas at Dallas