“My Regular Spot”

Abstract

Employing ethnographic data from a diverse Chicago neighborhood, this article examines how and why a group of Black men asserted exclusive claims to a street corner in explicitly racial terms. The analysis focuses on why racial-ethnic categories became the basis for social and spatial segregation in public spaces but not in a less conspicuous indoor setting. Consistent with prior research by urban ethnographers, the evidence indicates that the dynamics of interaction in public space encourage individuals to rely on categoric knowledge, which triggers stereotypes and provokes intergroup suspicions and hostilities. However, beliefs about how third parties evaluate whether or not specific interactions in visible public spaces are suspicious can also promote racially charged territorial behavior and thereby limit intergroup contact.