Overview

Deviance has long been a cornerstone of sociological inquiry, so much so that commentators have determined that it is overused, under-defined and may have run its analytical course. It has become a contested category in the last few years, and some sociologists have proclaimed the 'death of deviance', noting that the abundance of introductory classes on the subject are not synonymous with a vibrant field of research. This comprehensive volume analyses the uses of the 'deviance' concept to show its possible utility in a variety of fields such as religion, education, and media narratives. Bringing together leading international scholars, it demonstrates the vitality of this area of inquiry and its continued relevance to the social sciences.

Full Product Details

9781322295107

Table of Contents

Reviews

Students and scholars will find here a collection that digs deep into the core of the criminological project by examining the history, politics, challenges and, ultimately, ongoing relevance of studying social rule-breaking. This is a valuable survey of the field that restates the value of thinking about social deviation - offering thought-provoking analyses of the thorny question of how it is that behaviour can be condemned or celebrated. The editors have gathered a diverse and valuable set of contributions in the case for and against the study of deviance, deftly highlighting its sustained utility and profound relevance to our understanding of social harm and justice today. - Rowland Atkinson, University of York, UK. In Death of Deviance, the editors and contributors consider the meaning of 'deviance' across the long sweep of academic inquiry and political culture, from the whiff of stern condemnation that the concept sometimes carries to the sociological imagination that, at its best, it embodies. As their nuanced analysis shows, 'deviance' has time and again emerged as the crux where sociology intersects criminology, where pluralism confronts absolutism, where moral evaluation meets situational appreciation. Ultimately, this provocative book makes one thing clear: The sociology of deviance is dead; long live the sociology of deviance! - Jeff Ferrell, Texas Christian University

Author Information

Michael Dellwing is a Social Sciences Assistant at Kassel University, Germany, where he teaches and researches deviance, sociology of law, sociology of psychiatry, ethnography and television studies. He is author of an introduction to ethnography and to the sociology of Erving Goffman. Nathan W. Pino is Professor of Sociology at Texas State University, USA, where he conducts research on international policing and police reform, violence, and the attitudes and behaviours of college students. In addition to numerous academic journal articles, he is author of Rethinking Serial Murder, Spree Killing, and Atrocities: Beyond the Usual Distinctions (with Robert Shanafelt, forthcoming) and Globalization, Police Reform, and Development: Doing it the Western Way? (with Graham Ellison, Palgrave Macmillan). Joseph A. Kotarba is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Social Inquiry at Texas State University, USA. He is the recipient of the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction's G.H. Mead Award for lifetime achievement. His most recent books are Baby Boomer Rock and Roll Fans (2013) and The Present and Future of Symbolic Interactionism (2012).

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available