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Bad actually means being cool, says UEL Academic

Tuesday 19 January 2010

Dr Anthony Gunter

A senior lecturer in Criminology & Criminal Justice from UEL’s School of Law has published his book based on an ethnographic study of young people in different East London neighbourhoods.

Dr Anthony Gunter’s book Growing up bad, published by Tufnell Press on 4 February 2010, focuses on the life experiences of black, white and mixed race young people aged between thirteen and twenty-one. It explores topics including home life, schooling, ethnicity and gender.

Packed with revealing interviews from young people in East London, the book is a rare insight into the lives of the youth growing up in Newham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest.

Dr Gunter, who is also Programme Leader in FdA Applied Criminology at UEL, said: “The East End is an amazing place for the majority of young people. I wanted to present another side to the youth in East London, one that was different from the general media portrayal of stigmatised and marginalised young black men. Most of them are not murderers or gun touting drug dealers.

"The book highlights the East End as a creative hub for young people. East London is a real vibrant mix of people and energy, especially young people from diverse backgrounds and there’s a lot to celebrate here. It is the birth place of important contemporary musical forms such as Drum and Bass and Rave culture."

Dr Gunter’s book is actually a play on the word 'bad'. Being bad means being cool and the book is an intimate portrait of camaraderie, music, fashion and laughing with friends, or as the young people would say, ‘catchin’ joke’.

Fiona Fairweather, Dean of UEL’s School of Law said: "This book is an excellent commentary and is the result of a deep involvement with the local community."

UEL is also involved in the Aim Higher project, an initiative that helps raise awareness about the importance of higher education to young people in secondary schools in Waltham Forest.

Dr Gunter is a former youth worker, who has worked in Brixton as well as East London.

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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