Barbershop: the role of African American barbershops in resilient social networks

Patricia Burke Wood & Rod Brunson, "Geographies of Resilient Social Networks: The Role of African American Barbershops," Urban Geography 32 (2011): 2

The take-away: Regarding the social function of African American barbershops in St. Louis, Missouri, this study finds that many customers travel large distances to frequent a particular barbershop. It identifies this as a resilient practice responsive to “the reproduction of racialized social geographies”.    

Abstract: This study examines the geographic reach of the African American barbershop, a neighborhood institution that is commonly acknowledged as important, yet whose significance is often  overlooked. Data were gathered regarding the residential location of clienteles for two barbershops in the inner suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri, a city with a history of racial  segregation. Plotting this information on maps of the area revealed that many customers travel to these shops from well outside the neighborhood. The significance of the spatial extent of the shops' communities is contextualized with in-depth interviews and ethnographic research on life  inside the businesses. In light of urban and inner-suburban decline in metropolitan St. Louis, this research strengthens the case for the importance of such informal institutions for understanding  the resilience of the African American community in the face of the reproduction of racialized  social geographies.

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