With the impact of social interactionist and ethnographic
methodology twenty-five years ago, the research agenda in social
problems began to shift its focus, giving rise to the Social
Constructionism movement. The present volume and the related
shorter text, Constructionist Controversies, review the substantial
contributions made by social constructionist theorists over that
period, as well as recent debates about the future of the
perspective. These contributions redefine the purpose and central
questions of social problems theory and articulate a research
program for analyzing social problems as social constructions. A
generation of theorists has been trained in the constructionist
perspective and has extended it through numerous analyses of
diverse aspects of contemporary social life.
The debates in this volume pose fundamental questions about the
major assumptions of the perspective, the ways in which it is
practiced, and the purposes of social problems theory. Their point
of departure is Ibarra and Kitsuse's essay, cutting new theoretical
ground in calling for "investigating vernacular resources,
especially rhetorical forms, in the social problems process."
Contributors are forceful proponents both within and outside of
the social constructionist community, who take a broad array of
positions on the current state of social problems theory and on the
rhetorical forms that need exploring. They also lay down the
general lines for diverse and often competing programs for the
future development of the constructionist agenda.
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