Overview

One evening, while watching the news, Roger N. Lancaster was startled by a report that a friend, a gay male school teacher, had been arrested for a sexually based crime. The resulting hysteria threatened to ruin the life of an innocent man. In this passionate and provocative book, Lancaster blends astute analysis, robust polemic, ethnography, and personal narrative to delve into the complicated relationship between sexuality and punishment in our society. Drawing on classical social science, critical legal studies, and queer theory, he tracks the rise of a modern suburban culture of fear and develops new insights into the punitive logic that has put down deep roots in everyday American life.

Full Product Details

Author:   Roger N. Lancaster
Publisher:   University of California Press
Imprint:   University of California Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9780520262065

ISBN 10:   0520262069
Pages:   328
Publication Date:   15 March 2011
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock  
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments Introduction: Fear Eats the Soul PART ONE: SEX PANIC 1. Panic: A Guide to the Uses of Fear 2. Innocents at Home: How Sex Panics Reshaped American Culture 3. To Catch a Predator: New Monsters, Imagined Risks, and the Erosion of Legal Norms 4. The Magical Power of the Accusation: How I Became a Sex Criminal and Other True Stories PART TWO: THE PUNITIVE STATE 5. Zero Tolerance: Crime and Punishment in the Punitive State 6. Innocents Abroad: Taboo and Terror in the Global War 7. Constructing Victimization: How Americans Learned to Love Trauma 8. The Victimology Trap: Capitalism, Liberalism, and Grievance Conclusion: Whither the Punitive State? Appendix 1: Race, Incarceration, and Notification Appendix 2: Notes on Method Notes Index

Reviews

Casts a thought-provoking perspective. --Salon

Casts a thought-provoking perspective. --Salon A convincing argument. --The Gay & Lesbian Review

""Casts a thought-provoking perspective."" Salon ""A convincing argument."" The Gay & Lesbian Review ""Smart, witty, and political. The critique of state responses to sex offense is desperately needed in a policy debate that celebrates ever harsher punishment."" Contexts ""This book provides a ... window on the use of sex panics and fear-mongering by the state to increase its control over private behavior."" -- J.A. Myers Gay & Lesbian Review/Worldwide

Author Information

Roger N. Lancaster is Professor of Anthropology and Cultural Studies at George Mason University and is the author of several books, including Life Is Hard and The Trouble with Nature, both from UC Press.

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