Images of Deviance and Social Control
by Stephen J Pfohl
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Book Summary Information
Author: Stephen J PfohlEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1994-01-01
ISBN: 0070497656
Number of pages: 528
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
Book Reviews of Images of Deviance and Social Control
Book Review: Excellent book, but not suitable for all readers
Summary: 5 Stars
The book is excellent: comprehensive, thought-provoking, fair, and interesting. Reading it requires an investment in time and effort, not because it is difficult to read but because it focuses on ideas rather than the "nuts and sluts" mode of learning about deviance. It worked well when I used it to teach sociology of deviance and social control to typical-college-age Ivy League students. And it worked well with evenings-and-weekends urban adult students who did not have high SAT scores and did have full-time jobs, families, etc. the rest of the week. It has not worked well with typical-age college undergraduates at the minimally selective, medium-sized, small-town Midwestern university where I currently teach. When I've used this book here, about a third of the students don't read it or "skim" it, in their words, and so are lost. It is not a textbook and can not be read (or unread) successfully that way. (Testing them on the material did not encourage actual reading of the book.) Of those who try to read it, many are unwilling to read closely and slowly. They are frustrated by the focus on ideas and are intimidated or upset when Pfohl uses a word or idea they don't know. A few students read it and understand it--many of these are excited by the ideas in it--but I must choose course texts that the average, not the exceptional, student can use. I've accepted that the book is too challenging for most of my current students, not because they aren't smart enough to understand it but because, mostly, they aren't motivated to try. It's just not a good match. However, if you are a professor with ready-to-learn students who like to be intellectually challenged, or you want a deeper, more analytic perspective on the dominant theories of deviance for your own knowledge, I highly recommend it.
Summary of Images of Deviance and Social Control
A very scholarly, upper-level text examining deviance and social control using nine major theoretical perspectives. For each perspective, Pfohl describes the basic theoretical images of deviance; discusses dominant research strategies and social control policies; locates the perspective within a general sociohistorical framework; discusses its status today; and assesses its strengths and weaknesses. While primarily sociological, it spans the concerns of a variety of disciplines (criminology/CJ, anthropology, religion, psychology, medicine, political science), integrating references to literature, film, music, and painting to show parallels between images of deviance produced by scientists and those produced by artists. A persuasive theme is that power relations, which are socially organized, shape a person's perception, definition, and reaction to deviance; thus, the study of deviance and social control is decidedly political. In the second edition, in addition to general updating, Pfohl enhances material on race and gender in the hierarchical/patriarchal power structure. He also expands and elaborates upon the critical perspective, devoting the two final chapters to it.General Books
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