The Sociology of Deviance by Colin Sumner

The Sociology of Deviance by Colin Sumner

Colin Summer charts the rise and fall of a field of enquiry. He argues that the lack of recent "warfare over the terrain over the sociology of deviance is actually due to the fact that the combatants over the years, in their enthusiasm for the fight, have completely demolished the terrain...the terrain now resembles the Somme in 1918. It is barran, fruitless, full of empty trenches and craters, littered with unexploded mines and eerily silent. No one fights for hegemony over a dangerous graveyard. it is now time to drop arms and show respect for the dead". The first part of this extended obituary documents the formation of the field of sociology of deviance from its conception in the womb of Durkheim's social theory to its coming of age in late 1930s sociology. The second part examines the heyday of the field as a popular science and as a critique of social control in the 1960s. The final part analyzes its death at the hands of the post-1968 critics. Throughout, Colin Summer explores the theoretical matrix that held the sociology of deviance together and sets it in the context of culture, politics and social change.

"..an erudite, engaging and provocative history of sociological ideas...an outstanding piece of sociology." - The Sociological Review "Seldom have I been so impressed; the breadth and depth of scholarship in this work is awesome." - Professor Charles E Marske "...remarkably well writtenand informative." - Professor Edwin M Lemert "What was meant and praised as a necessary, courageous and successfulstep of liberating and emancipating the discipline of criminology from the narrow boundaries of the penal law turns out to be another scientific blind alley - now at the level of society. This is the central message of Colin Sumner's fine and scholarly study on the conceptual career of 'deviance' - a literary journey that covers a century long period of theoretical reflection and analysis." - Professor Dr Fritz Sack

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780335097807
ISBN 10	0335097804
Title	The Sociology of Deviance
Author	Colin Sumner
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Open University Press
Year published	1994-09-16
Number of pages	352
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable