"This book appears at a time when many of the topics it covers have moved to the forefront of public attention. The women's liberation movement has promoted an increased consciousness of sexism in general, and of its many specific manifestations. Both scholarly research and academic courses on women have reached an all-time high. As a combined result of activist efforts and social research, most of the patterned ways of labeling women deviant that are discussed in this text have now come under significant challenge. The time may not be too distant when it will be possible to discuss many of these patterns in the past tense. By and large, that time has not yet arrived. The text is intended for use in courses on deviance, women, gender, sex roles, social problems and contemporary society."--Preface."

This timely second edition remains essentially the same in overall organization and chapter layout and titles. New to the book is updated data and facts from empirical research and government and agency reports. Some information in some chapters was retained from the first edition if it was deemed still relevant and interesting. The definition of deviance has been modified to be more in line with standard understandings of the term which frequently describe deviance as violations of social norms. The word “differences” remains part of the definition and implies differences in attitudes, lifestyles, values, and choices that exist among individuals and groups in society. The concept of deviance is no longer treated as a label in itself, also placing the definition of the term more in alignment with its standard usage. The title of the book remains the same and “tradition” still implies the book covers areas that have long been addressed in deviance texts such as addictions, crime, and sexual behaviors, to name a few. The term “stigma” is retained for two reasons: it is in honor of Erving Goffman, a giant in the discipline of sociology who offered much to the study of differences, and it is used to accentuate the importance of societal reaction in a heterogeneous society. In this updated edition, every attempt has been made to respond to input from colleagues and students concerning text content and writing style. Chapters still include “In Recognition” or comments that honor scholars whose research and professional interests are related to the chapters under study. Effective case studies are again included in the chapters. Considerable effort went into decisions of what was to be added, changed, maintained, and deleted from the first edition, resulting in meaningful modifications throughout the book.

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