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: 2.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.472kg
ISBN:  

9780520255654

ISBN 10:   0520255658
Pages:   328
Publication Date:   15 March 2011
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Awaiting stock  

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 A convincing argument. --The Gay & Lesbian Review

Casts a thought-provoking perspective. --Salon

"""Casts a thought-provoking perspective."" Salon 20111209 ""A convincing argument."" The Gay & Lesbian Review 20120901 ""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 20120830 ""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 20110901"

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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