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Understanding Deviance: A Guide to the Sociology of Crime and Rule-Breaking
Downes and Rock's popular textbook, Understanding Deviance , provides the reader with an indispensable guide to criminological theory. It sympathetically outlines the principal theories of crime and rule-breaking, discussing them chronologically, and placing them in their North American and
European contexts, confronting major criticisms that have been voiced against them, and constructing defences where appropriate.
The book has been thoroughly revised and brought up-to-date to include new issues of crime, deviance, and theory in the early twenty-first century. It includes new studies in the areas of gang and subcultural theory, further discussion of post-modernism and the "risk society", and assessment of how
different approaches address the lengthy fall in crime rate across most democratic and developed societies.
European contexts, confronting major criticisms that have been voiced against them, and constructing defences where appropriate.
The book has been thoroughly revised and brought up-to-date to include new issues of crime, deviance, and theory in the early twenty-first century. It includes new studies in the areas of gang and subcultural theory, further discussion of post-modernism and the "risk society", and assessment of how
different approaches address the lengthy fall in crime rate across most democratic and developed societies.
- GenresSociologyNonfiction
424 pages, Paperback
First published November 10, 1988
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October 2, 2023
This book may help you if you need to critique the socio-criminology of "deviance", but only to a very limited extent. The book does not properly ground the assorted theories the authors address, and it offers still less in terms of "understanding deviance" .
Downes and Rock do point out that even defining deviance is problematic because of the subjectivity of the subject in general, and the lack of consensus in academic theorisation. However, given that this book was published in the 21st century, some of the behaviours and identities the authors lump under deviance really raised my eyebrows. The book is rampantly homophobic, repeatedly listing homosexuality in the same breath as paedophilia and bestiality, and elsewhere alongside rape and incest, though they do occasionally concede that gay relationships could be considered a "victimless" form of "deviance" . Some of the judgements do feel well over half a century old, given the women giving birth or who have a baby while not in a (heterosexual) relationship are classed as deviants more than once, the first time 'pointing out ' that she will inevitably keep repeating this scenario over and over again. Apparently disabled people are deviants, too...
To be fair, Rock and Downes do make some relevant observations about the various socio-criminological theories of deviance and raise some interesting points. They include a chapter on feminist theories with reasonably modern engagement, but it doesn't stop them, in a different chapter, citing the "'Gay Lib'" and " 'Women's Lib'" (their single quotation marks) as movements arising out of "deviant" subcultures.
One of the better things about this book is coverage of criticism of theories and a huge wealth of ideas for pursuing research, with excellent signposting to relevant further reading, along with an interesting account of the history of sociological and criminological deviance research and theory.
Downes and Rock do point out that even defining deviance is problematic because of the subjectivity of the subject in general, and the lack of consensus in academic theorisation. However, given that this book was published in the 21st century, some of the behaviours and identities the authors lump under deviance really raised my eyebrows. The book is rampantly homophobic, repeatedly listing homosexuality in the same breath as paedophilia and bestiality, and elsewhere alongside rape and incest, though they do occasionally concede that gay relationships could be considered a "victimless" form of "deviance" . Some of the judgements do feel well over half a century old, given the women giving birth or who have a baby while not in a (heterosexual) relationship are classed as deviants more than once, the first time 'pointing out ' that she will inevitably keep repeating this scenario over and over again. Apparently disabled people are deviants, too...
To be fair, Rock and Downes do make some relevant observations about the various socio-criminological theories of deviance and raise some interesting points. They include a chapter on feminist theories with reasonably modern engagement, but it doesn't stop them, in a different chapter, citing the "'Gay Lib'" and " 'Women's Lib'" (their single quotation marks) as movements arising out of "deviant" subcultures.
One of the better things about this book is coverage of criticism of theories and a huge wealth of ideas for pursuing research, with excellent signposting to relevant further reading, along with an interesting account of the history of sociological and criminological deviance research and theory.
Displaying 1 of 1 review