Packed with the most recent and relevant articles in the field, CONSTRUCTIONS OF SOCIAL POWER, CONTEXT, AND INTERACTION, Eighth Edition, shows readers how to apply the concepts and theories of deviance to the world around them. The book's current, comprehensive coverage includes both theoretical analyses and ethnographic illustrations of how deviance is socially constructed, organized, and managed. Seasoned authors and award-winning professors, Patricia Adler and Peter Adler cover a wide variety of deviant acts-challenging readers to see the diversity and pervasiveness of deviance in society. They present deviance as a component of society, examine the construction of deviance, and explore the processes in society that create deviance. Intriguing selected studies focus on the experiences of deviants, the deviant-making process, and the ways in which people labeled as deviant in society react to that label. The balanced selection of readings is timely and engaging, while in-depth introductions, explanations of theory, and discussion questions guide readers through the fascinating material.
This book is a collection of essay's compiled by the Adler's, a well-known and accomplished couple in the field of sociology. Topics covered include rape, pedophilia, gangs, stripping, sexual asphyxia, etc. While it sounds graphic, the articles themselves are academic in nature, so most read like research, not novels. Still, for anyone interested in learning more about these topics or fascinated by social power and interaction, this collection is good enough to keep you interested. Though I had to read this for class, I plan on keeping the book as a reference tool for the future. I could easily see myself picking it up again and rereading the essays for "fun".