James Diego Vigil received his PhD in anthropology from UCLA and is currently professor emeritus (criminology, law & society) at UC, Irvine, but he’ll tell you he really is just an observer, watcher, and questioner – “a ‘metiche’ as we say in the Mexican culture.” As an urban anthropologist focusing on Mexican Americans, he has conducted research on ethnohistory, education, culture change and acculturation, and adolescent and youth issues, especially street gangs.