Joseph R. Gusfield's Books

Contested Meanings

The Construction of Alcohol Problems

By: Joseph R. Gusfield

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Contested Meanings

The Construction of Alcohol Problems

By: Joseph R. Gusfield

The theme throughout Contested Meanings is the conflicting and changing ways society defines social problems. He emerges in the course of the book as a thoughtful and realistic social critic who looks beyond analyses of drinking as pathological behavior to consider the place of alcohol in American popular and leisure culture.

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Page Count

388

Publisher

Univ of Wisconsin Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

029914934X

ISBN 13

9780299149345

Performing Action

Artistry in Human Behavior and Social Research

By: Joseph R. Gusfield

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Performing Action

Artistry in Human Behavior and Social Research

By: Joseph R. Gusfield

In recent years the social sciences and the humanities have drawn closer to each other in thought and method. This rapprochement has led to new perceptions of human behavior by sociologists, as well as new methodological orientations. Sociologist Joseph R. Gusfield draws upon drama and fiction to show how human action is shaped by the formal dimensions of performance. Gusfield first defines the concept of behavior as artistic performance. He then analyzes routine and classic social research reports as literary performances in qualitative and quantitative terms. Next he moves to social movements and public actions, demonstrating how objects and events are products of the interpretation and reflection of individuals. He draws upon literary and artistic conventions to deal with issues of representation and meaning. In the first and last chapters, Gusfield provides a conceptual summary examining the relation between sociology as science and art, arguing that sociological methods are neither science nor art, but partake of both. Following the philosopher Paul Ricouer, Gusfield shows how human behavior can be read as a text, always telling the participant or observer "something about something." Performing Action will be of interest to sociologists, psychologists, and students of aesthetics and critical theory.

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Page Count

308

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1351500287

ISBN 13

9781351500289

The Culture of Public Problems

Drinking-Driving and the Symbolic Order

By: Joseph R. Gusfield

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The Culture of Public Problems

Drinking-Driving and the Symbolic Order

By: Joseph R. Gusfield

Everyone knows 'drunk driving' is a 'serious' offense. And yet, everyone knows lots of 'drunk drivers' who don't get involved in accidents, don't get caught by the police, and manage to compensate adequately for their 'drunken disability.' Everyone also knows of 'drunk drivers' who have been arrested and gotten off easy. Gusfield's book dissects the conventional wisdom about 'drinking-driving' and examines the paradox of a 'serious' offense that is usually treated lightly by the judiciary and rarely carries social stigma."—Mac Marshall, Social Science and Medicine "A sophisticated and thoughtful critic. . . . Gusfield argues that the 'myth of the killer drunk' is a creation of the 'public culture of law.' . . . Through its dramatic development and condemnation of the anti-social character of the drinking-driver, the public law strengthens the illusion of moral consensus in American society and celebrates the virtues of a sober and orderly world."—James D. Orcutt, Sociology and Social Research "Joseph Gusfield denies neither the role of alcohol in highway accidents nor the need to do something about it. His point is that the research we conduct on drinking-driving and the laws we make to inhibit it tells us more about our moral order than about the effects of drinking-driving itself. Many will object to this conclusion, but none can ignore it. Indeed, the book will put many scientific and legal experts on the defensive as they face Gusfield's massive erudition, pointed analysis and criticism, and powerful argumentation. In The Culture of Public Problems, Gusfield presents the experts, and us, with a masterpiece of sociological reasoning."—Barry Schwartz, American Journal of Sociology This book is truly an outstanding achievement. . . . It is sociology of science, sociology of law, sociology of deviance, and sociology of knowledge. Sociologists generally should find the book of great theoretical interest, and it should stimulate personal reflection on their assumptions about science and the kind of consciousness it creates. They will also find that the book is a delight to read."—William B. Bankston, Social Forces

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Page Count

278

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0226310949

ISBN 13

9780226310947

Symbolic Crusade

Status Politics and the American Temperance Movement

By: Joseph R. Gusfield

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Symbolic Crusade

Status Politics and the American Temperance Movement

By: Joseph R. Gusfield

The important role of the Temperance movement throughout American history is analyzed as clashes and conflicts between rival social systems, cultures, and status groups. Sometimes the "dry" is winning the classic battle for prestige and political power. Sometimes, as in today's society, he is losing. This significant contribution to the theory of status conflict also discloses the importance of political acts as symbolic acts and offers a dramatistic theory of status politics, Gusfield provides a useful addition to the economic and psychological modes of analysis current in the study of political and social movements.

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Page Count

244

Publisher

University of Illinois Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0252013123

ISBN 13

9780252013126

Wisconsin and the Shaping of American Law

By: Joseph A. Ranney

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Wisconsin and the Shaping of American Law

By: Joseph A. Ranney

Examines the full course of American history from a comparative state-law perspective, using Wisconsin as a case study to emphasize the vital role states have taken in creating American law.

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Page Count

320

Publisher

University of Wisconsin Pres

Published Date

ISBN 10

0299312402

ISBN 13

9780299312404

Symbolic Crusade

Status Politics and the American Temperance Movement

By: Joseph R. Gusfield

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Symbolic Crusade

Status Politics and the American Temperance Movement

By: Joseph R. Gusfield

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Page Count

244

Publisher

Penguin Group

Published Date

ISBN 10

0252013123

ISBN 13

9780252013126

Performing Action

Artistry in Human Behavior and Social Research

By: Joseph R. Gusfield

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Performing Action

Artistry in Human Behavior and Social Research

By: Joseph R. Gusfield

In recent years the social sciences and the humanities have drawn closer to each other in thought and method. This rapprochement has led to new perceptions of human behavior by sociologists, as well as new methodological orientations. Sociologist Joseph R. Gusfield draws upon drama and fiction to show how human action is shaped by the formal dimensions of performance. Gusfield first defines the concept of behavior as artistic performance. He then analyzes routine and classic social research reports as literary performances in qualitative and quantitative terms. Next he moves to social movements and public actions, demonstrating how objects and events are products of the interpretation and reflection of individuals. He draws upon literary and artistic conventions to deal with issues of representation and meaning. In the first and last chapters, Gusfield provides a conceptual summary examining the relation between sociology as science and art, arguing that sociological methods are neither science nor art, but partake of both. Following the philosopher Paul Ricouer, Gusfield shows how human behavior can be read as a text, always telling the participant or observer “something about something.” Performing Action will be of interest to sociologists, psychologists, and students of aesthetics and critical theory.

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Page Count

294

Publisher

Transaction Publishers

Published Date

ISBN 10

1412830656

ISBN 13

9781412830652

Joseph Story and the Encyclopedia Americana

By: Joseph Story

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Joseph Story and the Encyclopedia Americana

By: Joseph Story

Contains a little-known series of legal essays written by Joseph Story for the first edition of the Encyclopedia Americana, edited by Francis Lieber.

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Page Count

234

Publisher

The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.

Published Date

ISBN 10

1584775289

ISBN 13

9781584775287

Book's by Joseph R. Gusfield

Contested Meanings

Contested Meanings

Performing Action

Performing Action

The Culture of Public Problems

The Culture of Public Problems

Symbolic Crusade

Symbolic Crusade

Wisconsin and the Shaping of American Law

Wisconsin and the Shaping of American Law

Symbolic Crusade

Symbolic Crusade

Performing Action

Performing Action

Joseph Story and the Encyclopedia Americana

Joseph Story and the Encyclopedia Americana

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