Talking at Trena's: Everyday Conversations at an African American Tavern

Talking at Trena's is an ethnography conducted in a bar in an African American, middle-class neighborhood on Chicago's southside. May's work focuses on how the mostly black, working- and middle-class patrons of Trena's talk about race, work, class, women, relationships, the media, and life in general. May recognizes tavern talk as a form of social play and symbolic performace within the tavern, as well as an indication of the social problems African Americans confront on a daily basis.
Following a long tradition of research on informal gathering places, May's work reveals, though close description and analysis of ethnographic data, how African Americans come to understand the racial dynamics of American society which impact their jobs, entertainment--particularly television programs--and their social interactions with peers, employers, and others. Talking at Trena's provides a window into the laughs, complaints, experiences, and strategies which Trena's regulars share for managing daily life outside the safety and comfort of the tavern.

Author: Reuben A. Buford May
Publisher: New York University Press
Published: 08/01/2001
Pages: 200
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.57lbs
Size: 8.28h x 5.56w x 0.56d
ISBN: 9780814756720

Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 10/15/2001 pg. 96
Black Issues Book Review 11/01/2001 pg. 67
Choice 05/01/2002 pg. 1670

About the Author
May, Reuben A. Buford: - Reuben A. Buford May is Professor of Sociology at Texas A & M University. He is the author of Talking at Trena's: Everyday Conversations at an African American Tavern (NYU Press, 2001).