Gangs are gangs, wherever they are found. They represent a specific type or variety of society, and one thing that is particularly interesting about them is the fact that they are, in respect to their organization, so elementary, and in respect to their origin, so spontaneous. (Park, preface in Thrasher, 1927/2013, p. ix)

Gangs are described as an episodic phenomenon comparable across diverse geographical sites, with the US gang stereotype often operating as an archetype. Mirroring this trend, academic researchers have increasingly sought to survey the global topography of gangs through positivist methodologies that seek out universal characteristics.

This Special Issue of Youth and Globalization is a monoghrapic about gangs, transnational gangs, gangs relations and mediation. Several members of TRANSGANG have participated in this monographic, and their papers can be read in Open Acess following this link:

Youth and Globalization Special Issue