Mitchell Duneier

"Sidewalk," published in 1999, is Mitchell Duneier's acclaimed ethnographic study of street vendors working along Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village. The book examines the lives of mostly unhoused men who sell books and magazines on the street. Duneier explores how these vendors create a sense of community and maintain moral order in public spaces.

Duneier is highly regarded for his detailed, immersive approach to ethnographic fieldwork. For "Sidewalk," he spent years working alongside the street vendors, conducting participant observation to deeply understand their daily lives. He also collaborated closely with photographer Ovie Carter to visually document his subjects.

Mitchell Duneier serves as a prominent professor of sociology, spending much of his career at Princeton University and the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center. He specializes in teaching courses on urban sociology, poverty, and qualitative research methods. He is also the co-author of the widely used introductory textbook "Introduction to Sociology."

In his research, Duneier pushes back against the stereotype that unhoused individuals are disconnected from social norms and capitalism. By detailing the complex, legitimate micro-economies of the sidewalk vendors, he demonstrates their capacity for entrepreneurship and community-building. He forces urban planners and sociologists to reconsider who has the right to occupy public space.