Part of the Casswiki article series Books
Deviance and Moral Boundaries: Witchcraft, the Occult, Science Fiction, Deviant Sciences and Scientists is a book by Nachman Ben-Yehuda, first published in 1985. This is an important sociological work on certain pathologies in several areas that were not investigated previously by sociologists.
It is relatively a small academic book, consisting of 250 pages including six chapters and a bibliography. These chapters are focused on the theoretical background of the “sociology of deviance”, the European witch-craze of the 15th to 17th century period, deviance in science and scientists, and a concluding discussion.
Throughout the book, the author has provided case studies from different time periods, to support the thesis that the sociology of deviance was done on a “small scale”, and that deviance really is a relative phenomenon that depends on the “cultural matrix” – meaning that deviance is a significant aspect of societal changes and stability, and a strong contribution to the moral boundaries. For example, the author discusses at length the European witch-craze of the Middle Ages – where the boundaries of all aspects of the medieval society were altered to “explain the inventions” of specific theology – and why the people easily accepted such a surreal ideology, one which involved dumbing-down and sometimes outright destroying the important roles of women, and which had the aim of strengthening the legitimacy of Christian dogma and authority.
See also
- Occult
- Witchcraft