Deviance: Anthropological Perspectives [Paperback]

Morris Freilich (Editor), Douglas Raybeck (Editor), Joel Savishinsky (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0897892046 | ISBN-13: 978-0897892049 | Publication Date: April 30, 1991

In this volume composed of cross-cultural case studies in deviance, the authors show how an anthropological comparative study can shed new light on the subject. Anthropologists have tended to avoid studying deviance as a phenomena in and of itself, concentrating instead on particular sorts of deviance such as sorcery, alcoholism, and suicide. The authors feel that an anthropological comparative study of deviance can shed new light on the ubject. Anthropology's total immersion in the culture being studied is well suited to a fuller understanding of deviance. An anthropology of deviance is likely to create new models that challenge many of the sociological assumptions currently used to interpret and understand deviance. The results of fieldwork in the Arctic, the West Indies, India, Europe, Africa, and the Far East are presented in individual ethnographic essays, and the data is formulated into three new theoretical models that address the differences between "smart" and "proper" behavior, the distinction between "soft" and "hard" deviance, and the social and political uses of "staged deviance." These innovative models provide a context in which the data collected cross-culturally make sense in general and make deviance more understandable. Anthropology lends a greater objectivity to the study of deviance through a great concern with the validity of data, a focus on small-scale systems and a meticulous scrutiny and acknowledgment of the models that will be used to interpret the data. This unique book improves not only our understanding of deviant behavior, but of sociocultural order as well.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“. . . A well written section covers service delivery in HIV/AIDS organizations and mental health services in community-based AIDS organizations. The largest and most important section for any social worker is the one that covers the special populations and how to approach and intervene.”–Aids Book Review Journal --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

MORRIS FREILICH is Professor of Sociology and Anthropology at Northeastern University.

DOUGLAS RAYBECK is Professor of Anthropology at Hamilton College.

JOEL SAVISHINSKY is Professor of Anthropology at Ithaca College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Bergin & Garvey Paperback (April 30, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897892046
• ISBN-13: 978-0897892049
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #268,141 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)