The concept of moral panic has enjoyed a rich history in sociological literature. Since
Stanley Cohen (1972) published his seminal study on the Mods and Rockers, scholars
have used the concept of moral panic to identify and explain disproportional and
exaggerated societal reactions to perceived threats against the social order posed by some
condition, episode, person or group of people. However, recent scholars have sought to
revise or problematize Cohen’s initial conceptualization, culminating in calls to ‘rethink’
(McRobbie and Thornton, 1995) and ‘think beyond’ (Hier, 2008) moral panic, as well as
to ‘widen the focus’ of moral panic analysis (Critcher, 2008). In response, my thesis
seeks to strengthen the conceptual and methodological approach to the concept of moral
panic by integrating the meta-theoretical principles of critical realism. Critical realism, I
argue, provides both the conceptual clarity and methodological insight necessary to
enhance scholarly research on moral panic. In addition, the integration of critical realism
allows me to more fully explore the internal dynamics and causal mechanisms involved
in the genesis of moral panic. The result is a deeper understanding of the ontological
nature of moral panic.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uvic.ca/oai:dspace.library.uvic.ca:1828/1409 |
| Date | 11 May 2009 |
| Creators | Meades, James |
| Contributors | Hier, Sean P. (Sean Patrick), 1971- |
| Source Sets | University of Victoria |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | Available to the World Wide Web |
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