SOC 2070 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Ultimate Power, Social Constructionism, Shining Light
2 Mar 2014
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Shift from unusual to mundane illustrates deviance is not marginal, it is central to what. People who commit crimes, those who perpetuate injustice (racists) popular: anyone that is disliked. Exists at societal level rather than individual (where pet peeves lie) Dictionary definition (cid:224) involves violating the norms that have been accepted in society, serious, makes one abnormal and unnatural. Academic realm: deviance specialists analyze criminal and/or non-criminal forms of deviance. Disagreement over the definition: those who focus exclusively on criminal forms of deviance are criminologists. Shift from historical objective definitions to subjective definitions (contemporary approach) Objective views claim the presence of certain characteristics defines deviance: behaviours or people w/ those characteristics are deviant, and those lacking such characteristics are normal. Subjective views claim there is no shared, observable characteristic that can clearly tell us who is deviant, and normal; someone must tell us who is deviant. Distinction b/w subjective and objective dualism/dichotomy two oppositional and mutually exclusive categories.
