Shades of Deviance
A Primer on Crime, Deviance and Social Harm
📘 About This Book
Written in a unique format, Shades of Deviance is a turbo-driven guide to crime and deviance, offering 56 politically engaged, thought-provoking and accessibly written accounts of a wide range of socially and legally prohibited acts. This book will be essential reading for undergraduate students in the fields of criminology and sociology and those preparing to embark on degree courses in these fields, as well as general readers. Written by field-leading experts from across the globe and designed for those who want a clear and exciting introduction to the complex areas of crime and deviance, this book provides a large number of short overviews of a wide range of social problems, harms and criminal acts. Offering a series of cutting-edge and critical treatments of issues such as war and murder, paedophilia, ecocide, human experimentation, stalking and sexting, this book also gives a guide to further readings and suggestions for other media to develop the reader’s understanding of these issues. Shades of Deviance requires readers to critically reconsider their ideas about what is right and wrong, about what is socially harmful and which problems we should focus our attention on. It also provides careful analysis and reasoned explanation of complex issues in a world in which sensationalist headlines, anxiety and fear about crime permeate our lives - read it to be prepared!
📖 Summary
Shades of Deviance, edited by Rowland Atkinson and published in 2014, serves as a dynamic and politically engaged guide through the complex landscapes of crime, social harm, and deviance. Spanning 277 pages, the volume breaks away from conventional academic formats by organizing its exploration into fifty-six distinct, short accounts. Each entry is crafted by a field-leading expert from across the globe, bringing cutting-edge and critical perspectives to an expansive array of socially and legally prohibited acts. The book is structured to be both a turbo-driven introduction for newcomers and a thought-provoking resource for seasoned scholars. Instead of focusing solely on traditional street crimes, the collection casts a wide net, examining the full spectrum of behaviors that cause social injury and moral panic. Readers are guided through a diverse range of topics, moving seamlessly from interpersonal harms like murder to large-scale global issues such as war, systemic inequality, and environmental devastation. By presenting these topics in concise, accessible overviews, the text encourages readers to question mainstream assumptions about what constitutes a crime and who gets to define it. The contributors challenge conventional boundaries, prompting a deep reexamination of how societies construct rules, enforce conformity, and marginalize those who fall outside accepted norms. This approach highlights the shifting definitions of deviance across different historical, political, and cultural contexts. The book functions as a vital navigational tool for understanding the darker sides of human society, bridging the gap between dense theoretical criminology and engaging public sociology. Through its carefully curated chapters, it demonstrates that crime and deviance are not isolated incidents, but rather deeply embedded features of modern social life. Ultimately, the collection invites readers to look beyond the headlines and legal statutes to see the broader structural harms and ethical dilemmas that define our contemporary world. Whether used as a foundational text for introductory courses or as a compelling read for the intellectually curious general public, the volume successfully demystifies complex sociological phenomena without sacrificing intellectual rigor or critical depth.
🎯 Key Lessons
⚖️ Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
Features contributions from leading global experts in the field.
Written in an accessible, engaging, and politically engaged style.
Covers a massive variety of social problems, harms, and crimes in short chapters.
Serves as an excellent bridge for both undergraduate students and general readers.
⚠️ Cons
The brevity of the chapters may leave some readers wanting deeper analysis on specific topics.
The broad scope covers so many issues that it cannot delve exhaustively into every single crime type.
❓ FAQ
Who edited Shades of Deviance? +
The book was edited by Rowland Atkinson.
When was the book published? +
It was published in 2014.
How many pages are in the book? +
The book contains 277 pages.
What format does the book use? +
It uses a unique format consisting of fifty-six short, accessible accounts written by global field-leading experts.
Who is the primary audience for this book? +
It is designed for undergraduate students in criminology and sociology, those preparing for related degree courses, and general readers.
