The Deviance Society

Abstract

ABSTRACT Debate has recently become lively about the state of the sociology of deviance in our discipline. While some have condemned it as stale, lacking in new theoretical advances, we disagree with this assessment. We assert, rather, that the field of deviance offers unparalleled insight into society, particularly in current times. Deviance thrives in America, from the underbelly of hidden life worlds to the new frontiers of discovery and social change. Although groups resist the label of deviance and its consequences, the process of deviance-making has become so important that it is understood and practiced across a broad spectrum of people. In the following pages we offer some examples of the way concepts and theories of deviance have filtered into commonsense understanding of the world and how they illuminate the stratification, dynamics, and turmoil of America.