Howard Becker, Drug Use and the Sociology of Deviance

Erich Goode

doi:10.21767/2471-853x.100075

Abstract

Outsiders, a sandwich book comprised of two previouslypublished articles on marijuana use and two on dance musicians, a two-chapter introduction, and a three-chapter conclusion (and, in the 1973 edition, the author’s reappraisal of labeling theory), has been, by far, Howard S. Becker’s most-read and most-cited work. It was remarkable and influential in several ways, including the fact that the author was a participant in the behavior he described and analyzed. But in his reflections on his own work, Becker expressed unease about being identified by this book, arguing that his writings in other areas are more emblematic of his contributions to sociology. Indeed, Becker even argues that, conceptually, the book wasn’t even about deviance as such, but occupations and the professions. The fact remains, authors do not render the most authoritative judgment about their work-their readers and commentators do.

Highlights

Becker is credited with bringing interactionism and constructionism into the study of drug use
What makes marijuana use a form of deviance? Wherein resides its deviant-ness? In his now-classic volume, Outsiders [1,2], Becker examined the process of rules and their enforcement and the enterprise of moral entrepreneurs, in which the rules or norms prohibiting cannabis consumption were created and implemented-no rule creation and no enforcement, no deviance
There’s a “but,” : In a 2002 interview with Ken Plummer, Becker says: “A lot of people think of my early work as mainly about deviance, but it’s not

Summary

Introduction

Becker is credited with bringing interactionism and constructionism into the study of drug use. From a constructionist point of view, Becker conceptualized marijuana use as a form of deviant behavior. What makes marijuana use a form of deviance? In his now-classic volume, Outsiders [1,2], Becker examined the process of rules and their enforcement and the enterprise of moral entrepreneurs, in which the rules or norms prohibiting cannabis consumption were created and implemented-no rule creation and no enforcement, no deviance. Howard Becker’s Outsiders was different from anything that came before it; its position represented a radical departure from the field’s dominant etiological and pathology orientation. Becker humanized and empathized and identified with his subjects- his “deviants”: He was a marijuana smoker and a jazz

Was Outsiders About Deviance?

Is Deviance an Analytic Concept?

Do Authors Label their own Work?