Author
Bindng
The Culture of Public Problems: DrinkingDriving and the Symbolic Order
Sold by Ergodebooks, an authorized reseller.
Returns accepted within 30 days | support@ergodebooks.com
Shipping Information
- Free Standard Shipping — United States only
- Processing Time: 1–3 business days
- Estimated Delivery: 3–5 business days after dispatch
- Double-boxed, fully insured & discreetly packaged
- Tracking number sent via email once dispatched
- Orders over $250 require signature upon delivery. Taxes calculated at checkout.
Returns & Refund
Returns accepted within 30 days of delivery.
Damaged or Defective Item
Free return shipping + replacement or full refund
Wrong Item Received
Free return shipping + replacement or full refund
Change of Mind
Return shipping at customer's expense · 25% restocking fee applies
Payment Option
Everyone knows drunk driving is a serious offense. And yet, everyone knows lots of drunk drivers who dont get involved in accidents, dont 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. Gusfields book dissects the conventional wisdom about drinkingdriving 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 MedicineA 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 antisocial character of the drinkingdriver, 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 ResearchJoseph 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 drinkingdriving and the laws we make to inhibit it tells us more about our moral order than about the effects of drinkingdriving 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 Gusfields 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 SociologyThis 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
⚠️ WARNING (California Proposition 65):
This product may contain chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.
For more information, please visit www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.