| Thinking about Social Problems: An Introduction to Constructionist Perspectives Contributor(s): Loseke, Donileen R. (Author) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0202306844 ISBN-13: 9780202306841 Publisher: Routledge OUR PRICE: $54.40 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: March 2003 Annotation: While social constructionist approaches to social problems are popular among academic researchers in sociology, communication, public policy, and criminology, this perspective tends not to be adequately covered in popular social problems texts. There are several likely reasons why students are often not introduced to constructionist perspectives until they reach advanced undergraduate or even graduate work. Student interest often lies in understanding real problems in the social world, but social constructionist perspectives focus on questions about how humans create the meaning of our world. Donileen R. Loseke claims that questions of constructionists seem esoteric and perhaps even a waste of time in a world containing very real want and pain. Social constructionism originally was posed as an alternative to other theoretical approaches examining social problems as objective conditions. This has led some to argue that either you believe that social problems exist out-side human awareness, or you believe that social problems are constructed. Loseke is convinced that social construction perspectives help us make sense of daily living. The questions of construction--how do humans create, sustain, and change meaning--only sound esoteric. At its best, social constructionism encourages a way of thinking that is distinctly sociological and empowering, to those who use it. However, the insights of constructionism do not depend on suspending all belief that a real world exists outside our understanding of it. Constructionism is less an alternative to other theoretical frameworks, than an important addition. Different frameworks pose questions about different aspects of life. To deny theimportance of any theoretical framework is to limit our comprehension. The author claims that we cannot afford to do this if we want to understand the perplexity and complexity of the human condition. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Political Science | Public Policy - Social Services & Welfare - Language Arts & Disciplines | Communication Studies - Social Science | Social Work |
| Dewey: 361.109 |
| LCCN: 2002008305 |
| Series: Social Problems and Social Issues |
| Physical Information: 0.7" H x 5.9" W x 8.9" (0.75 lbs) 236 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The new second edition of this distinctive and widely adopted textbook brings into the classroom an overview of how images of social problems can shape not only public policy and social services, but also the ways in which we make sense of ourselves and others. It introduces two primary changes. First, some attention is devoted to the "new social movements" that emphasize social change through identity transformation rather than through structural change. Second, the text now also looks more closely at the importance of emotions in constructing public consciousness of social problems. When the first edition was published, Teaching Sociology noted, "Loseke does a superb job explaining the relationship between sociology and social problems in a text that is very well research and engaging, yet with tremendous attention to detail and accuracy... W]ould provide a solid base for any social problems class." Contemporary Sociology wrote that the book is "engagingly well written in a personal, unpretentious style, and well informed by the author's knowledge of the professional literature." |
Contributor Bio(s): Loseke, Donileen R.: - Donileen R. Loseke is professor of sociology at the University of South Florida. A past president of the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction, she is the author of The Battered Woman and Shelters: The Social Construction of Wife Abuse, and coeditor (with Richard Gelles) of Current Controversies on Family Violence. |
