Bridging Together: Boundary-Spanning Actors and Community Violence

Some communities are collaborating with local leaders to improve relationships between authority figures and the communities they serve. This strategy builds on empirical successes as well as a theoretical tradition extolling the role of intermediary actors in bridging disconnected groups. In this paper, I problematize the expectation that individuals can fully span boundaries in situations of cultural difference and inequality. I draw from semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 14 community leaders from a variety of backgrounds, whom I call boundary-spanning actors (BSAs), to show that BSAs are rarely positioned to engage effectively with both authority figures and at-risk individuals, but instead position themselves at the boundary of one group. I distinguish between two ideal types of BSAs, the professional-advocate and the mentor, and show how a BSA’s personal experiences, individual skills, and existing relationships lead to distinct credibility claims, and persuasive and practical strategies.