Over the past 50 years, the streets of Philadelphia have been a living laboratory for ethnographer Elijah Anderson. He’s been on the ground here since 1975 studying the people and the culture of our city. He’s published his findings in a series of groundbreaking books that have brought the lessons he’s learned in Philly to the rest of the world.

This is the second half of a two-part series. In this episode, we’ll pick up the story where Professor Anderson tries to understand the rise in violence in Philly streets.

Elijah Anderson is currently the Sterling Professor of Sociology and of African American Studies at Yale University. He’s the author of A Place on the Corner (1978), Streetwise (1990), Code of the Street (1999), the Cosmopolitan Canopy (2011), and Black in White Space (2021). In 2021, Professor Anderson was awarded the international Stockholm Prize in Criminology for his pioneering work. The Stockholm Prize in Criminology is awarded for outstanding achievement in criminological research and the advancement of human rights.

Code of the Streets is being re-released by W.W. Norton in Spring 2025 with a new introduction by Professor Anderson.

The post Episode No. 26 – In Conversation with Elijah Anderson: Studying Culture on Philly Streets, Part 2 first appeared on Found in Philadelphia.

Over the past 50 years, the streets of Philadelphia have been a living laboratory for ethnographer Elijah Anderson. He’s been on the ground here since 1975 studying the people and the culture of our city. He’s published his findings in a series of groundbreaking books that have brought the lessons he’s learned in Philly to the rest of the world.

Over two episodes, we’ll learn how Professor Anderson became an ethnographer, what drew him to the streets of Philadelphia, and what he learned there.

Elijah Anderson is currently the Sterling Professor of Sociology and of African American Studies at Yale University. He’s the author of A Place on the Corner (1978), Streetwise (1990), Code of the Street (1999), the Cosmopolitan Canopy (2011), and Black in White Space (2021). In 2021, Professor Anderson was awarded the international Stockholm Prize in Criminology for his pioneering work. The Stockholm Prize in Criminology is awarded for outstanding achievement in criminological research and the advancement of human rights.

Code of the Streets is being re-released by W.W. Norton in Spring 2025 with a new introduction by Professor Anderson.

The post Episode No. 25 – In Conversation with Elijah Anderson: Studying the Culture of Philly Streets, Part 1 first appeared on Found in Philadelphia.

Casting a ballot on Election Day transformed into a completely different experience in the early twentieth century. Generally, voting in Philadelphia moved indoors, grew safer, more inclusive, and, maybe, a little boring. Or has it?

Our guest for this series is Professor Mark Brewin, Associate Professor of Media Studies, at the University of Tulsa. This mini-series relies heavily on Professor Brewin’s 2008 book Celebrating Democracy: The Mass Mediated Ritual of Election Day.

If you want to learn more and see images of Election Day in Philadelphia throughout history, follow this link to read the Election Day in Philadelphia Companion Blog. You’ll find a full list of my sources there as well.

This episode was mixed by The Wave Podcasting. Guitar, bass and drums played by Kai Reuter.

The post Episode No. 24 – Election Day on the Streets of Philadelphia (Part 4 – The 20th Century City) first appeared on Found in Philadelphia.

Voting changed after the Civil War in the newly consolidated City of Philadelphia. More men could vote on Election Day than ever before, and the vast majority of them did, though not without deadly violence. Government corruption also expanded. The Pennsylvania Republican party machine blatantly manipulated the vote. Yet, no one did much about it.

Our guest for this series is Professor Mark Brewin, Associate Professor of Media Studies, at the University of Tulsa. This mini-series relies heavily on Professor Brewin’s 2008 book Celebrating Democracy: The Mass Mediated Ritual of Election Day.

If you want to learn more and see images of Election Day in Philadelphia throughout history, follow this link to read the Election Day in Philadelphia Companion Blog. You’ll find a full list of my sources there as well.

This episode was mixed by The Wave Podcasting. Guitar, bass and drums played by Kai Reuter.

The post Episode No. 23 – Election Day on the Streets of Philadelphia (Part 3 – The Gilded Age City) first appeared on Found in Philadelphia.

The founding fathers wanted to pretend that the government of the newly formed United States stood above faction. But organizing and get out the vote tactics in the streets of Philadelphia proved this wasn’t true. By 1830, political parties had become a driving force behind Election Day. Voting was now a partisan contest limited to only white men. In Philly, the day had a wild, festival feeling that could, and often did, turn violent.

Our guest for this series is Professor Mark Brewin, Associate Professor of Media Studies, at the University of Tulsa. This mini-series relies heavily on Professor Brewin’s 2008 book Celebrating Democracy: The Mass Mediated Ritual of Election Day.

If you want to learn more and see images of Election Day in Philadelphia throughout history, follow this link to read the Election Day in Philadelphia Companion Blog. You’ll find a full list of my sources there as well.

This episode was mixed by The Wave Podcasting. Guitar, bass and drums played by Kai Reuter.

The post Episode No. 22 – Election Day on the Streets of Philadelphia (Part 2 – The New American Capital) first appeared on Found in Philadelphia.

Colonial Philadelphia’s government provided a striking contrast to the more egalitarian, consensus-driven leadership of the Native American Lenape. Election Day in colonial Philadelphia placed a spotlight on the social hierarchy with a highly orchestrated, political ritual where wealthy male voters took the stage. But maintaining the high ground wasn’t always easy.

Our guest for this series is Professor Mark Brewin, Associate Professor of Media Studies, at the University of Tulsa. This mini-series relies heavily on Professor Brewin’s 2008 book Celebrating Democracy: The Mass Mediated Ritual of Election Day.

If you want to learn more and see images of Election Day in Philadelphia throughout history, follow this link to read the Election Day in Philadelphia Companion Blog. You’ll find a full list of my sources there as well.

This episode was mixed by The Wave Podcasting. Guitar, bass and drums played by Kai Reuter.

The post Episode No. 21 – Election Day on the Streets of Philadelphia (Part 1 – The Colonial City) first appeared on Found in Philadelphia.

These are the women’s movement histories that you haven’t heard.

After the Civil War, women from all walks of life worked to make Philadelphia a better place. Some tried to clean up the streets. Some walked the streets in protest. And some continued, quietly, to improve their everyday lives through community and collective action.  

If you learned something new in the episode, don’t forget to leave a review and tell a friend about the podcast!

Find out what I couldn’t fit into this episode at the companion blog for Episode 20 at FoundinPhiladelphia.com. You’ll also find historical images and find a full list of resources for this episode.

Purchase books that inspired the podcast while supporting your local bookstore (and this podcast!) at bookshop.org/shop/foundinphilly.

This episode was edited and mixed by The Wave Podcasting.

The post Episode No. 20: These are the People in the Gilded Age, Part 2 – Women and Reform first appeared on Found in Philadelphia.

When you walk around the city at night, do you enjoy the glimpses you get of other people’s well-lit homes? If you do (and who doesn’t?), then this episode is for you.

We’re going to peer into the homes of the different people living in Philadelphia during the Gilded Age. We’ll look at how they lived, what they ate, and explore what happened when they all met in the street.

If you enjoy the episode, don’t forget to leave a review and tell a friend about the podcast!

Check out some historical images and find a full list of resources for this episode in the companion blog for Episode 19 at FoundinPhiladelphia.com.

Purchase books that inspired the podcast while supporting your local bookstore (and this podcast!) at bookshop.org/shop/foundinphilly.

This episode was edited and mixed by The Wave Podcasting.

The post Episode No. 19: These are the People in the Gilded Age (Part 1) first appeared on Found in Philadelphia.

Despite cycles of economic depression, Philadelphia transformed during the Gilded Age. Entire neighborhoods sprang up to house a growing population. Major infrastructure projects changed how people experienced the street. For some, it was a time of marvels. For others, it brought new perils to the street.

To see historical images and find a full list of resources for this episode, check out the companion blog for Episode 18 at FoundinPhiladelphia.com.

Purchase books that inspired the podcast while supporting your local bookstore (and this podcast!) at bookshop.org/shop/foundinphilly.

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to leave a review!

The post Episode No. 18 – Philly Streets in the Gilded Age: Depression, Development, and Deadly Trolleys first appeared on Found in Philadelphia.

A 144-year old hotel register from Springfield, Ohio, sends us on the trail of the fly-by-night Philadelphia Blue Stockings. The pursuit will take us through the rough-and-tumble world of late 19th century baseball as we uncover the precarious place of women in sport.

WARNING: This episode deals with sexual abuse of minors and may not be suitable for everyone.

Support your local bookstore and the podcast by buying books that inspired this episode at https://bookshop.org/shop/foundinphilly.

The post NEW Mini Episode No. 17 – Philadelphia Blue Stockings: Women and Baseball in the 19th Century first appeared on Found in Philadelphia.