While most readers focus more on deviance than sociology, Contexts of Deviance: Statuses, Institutions, and Interactions brings sociology front and center by examining deviance and social control in their social contexts. This fresh and innovative anthology shows students how deviance and control can be studied at different levels of analysis and from a range of theoretical approaches using different methodologies. The collection is divided into six parts: theory, social control, statuses and identities, institutions, subcultures, and social movements. The readings range from classic to contemporary pieces, from macro-level studies to studies of face-to-face encounters. Contexts of Deviance also represents a wide range of theoretical traditions--from functionalist and critical to post-modern and interactionist. Introductions in each section help students to understand what it means to study deviance and control in a social context, to appreciate research questions at different levels of analysis, and to recognize how a positivist orientation is different from a subjectivist orientation. An instructor's manual and test bank prepared by Thomas N. Ratliff (Arkansas State University), Jessica Middleton (University of California at Irvine), and Ashley Swan (Arkansas State University) are available for qualified instructors.

This new anthology of readings in deviance provides the missing link between classroom presentation and the theoretical sociology presented in textbooks. Presented within an interactionist/social constructionist framework, the book's 39 readings represent a variety of richly descriptive, qualitative studies of deviant subcultures, deviant behavior, and the management of deviant identities. Using the subjects' own voices, these ethnographic studies provide vivid images, and, in conjunction with the six part introductions, help the student see the connection between the characteristics of individual experience and the nature of social institutions and social power.

"This sociology of deviance textbook draws on up-to-date scholarship across a spectrum of deviance categories, providing a symbolic interactionist analysis of the deviance process. The book addresses positivistic theories of deviant behavior within a more encompassing description of the deviance process that includes the work of deviance claims-makers, rule-breakers, and social control agents. Cross-cultural and historical treatment of deviance categories provides background for understanding current conceptions of, and responses to, deviance. The book is divided into four parts. Section One introduces students to the sociology of deviance. A sociological approach to deviance is contrasted with popular views of deviants as demonic, mentally ill, and culturally exotic. Sociological methods for studying deviance are described, with particular emphasis on deviance ethnography. Classic positivistic theories of deviant behavior are presented with critique and discussion of revised formulations of the theories. The symbolic interactionist/constructionist approach is presented as a recursive set of processes involving deviance claims-making by moral entrepreneurs, rule-breaking, actions of social control, and stigma management and resistance by those labelled as deviant. Section Two focuses on high consensus criminal deviance, with chapters on murder, rape, street-level property crime, and white collar crime. Chapters in Section Three addresses various forms of lifestyle deviance, including alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and sex work. Section Four examines three categories of status deviance: mental illness, obesity and eating disorders, and LGBTQ identities."--Provided by publisher.

This is the new edition of the textbook, 'Understanding Deviance', that guides the new student through the major sociological theories of crime, deviance and control. It offers an in-depth discussion of all the prominent theories of deviance.

Social deviance does not involve just criminal behavior—it’s any behavior that violates a cultural norm, and that can involve something as minor as consistently and deliberately wearing lively mismatched socks. Moreover, whether a crime, a sin, or simply unique taste, what’s considered deviant at one time and place can change, as when extensive tattooing and "body art" evolved from a sideshow carnival spectacle to a nearly universal rite of passage within U.S. culture. Drawing contributions from across the social and behavioral sciences, including sociology, anthropology, criminology, politics, psychology, and religion, the Encyclopedia of Social Deviance introduces students to this lively field of rule-making and rebellion that strikes at the core of what it means to be an individual living in a social world. Key Features: More than 300 articles are organized A-to-Z in two volumes available in both electronic and print formats. Articles, authored by key figures in the field, conclude with cross-reference links and further readings. Although organized A-to-Z, a thematic “Reader’s Guide” groups related articles by broad areas (e.g., Concepts; Theories; Research Methodologies; Individual Deviance; Organizational Deviance; etc.) as one handy search feature on the e-Reference platform, which also includes a comprehensive index of search terms.

In this Second Edition of his investigation into the relative nature of social deviance and how the public perceives it, author John Curra demonstrates that what qualifies as deviance varies from place to place, time to time, and situation to situation. Through thought-provoking examples that include the blue people of Kentucky, a woman who believes she is a vampire, autoerotic asphyxiators, and others, Curra illustrates that deviance cannot be explained in terms of absolutes, nor can it be understood apart from its social setting. This insightful book approaches sex, violence, theft, suicide, drugs, and mental disorders in such a way that definitive or objective judgments become impossible.

The Handbook of Deviance is a definitive reference for professionals, researchers, and students that provides a comprehensive and engaging introduction to the sociology of deviance. Composed of over 30 essays written by an international array of scholars and meticulously edited by one of the best known authorities on the study of deviance Features chapters on cutting-edge topics, such as terrorism and environmental degradation as forms of deviance Each chapter includes a critical review of what is known about the topic, the current status of the topic, and insights about the future of the topic Covers recent theoretical innovations in the field, including the distinction between positivist and constructionist perspectives on deviance, and the incorporation of physical appearance as a form of deviance