This book, first published in 1989, examines how a seemingly trivial incident can act as a flashpoint for wider disturbances. It investigates the underlying causes, the immediate context of the events, and the communication between police and crowd that takes place within them. The authors' findings are based on first-hand research into case studies of political demonstrations, community disorder and industrial picketing in South Yorkshire, UK over a five-year period. Wide-ranging in its approach, the book covers industrial relations, police-community relations, and questions of political representation and legal rights. The authors provide a novel theoretical analysis, drawing on both sociology and social psychology, which they apply to their own case studies and to other instances of disorder, from Grosvenor Square in 1968 to Wapping in 1986. They also consider the possible impact of new public order legislation, and the policy implications of their research.

This book, first published in 1989, examines how a seemingly trivial incident can act as a flashpoint for wider disturbances. It investigates the underlying causes, the immediate context of the events, and the communication between police and crowd that takes place within them. The authors' findings are based on first-hand research into case studies of political demonstrations, community disorder and industrial picketing in South Yorkshire, UK over a five-year period. Wide-ranging in its approach, the book covers industrial relations, police-community relations, and questions of political representation and legal rights. The authors provide a novel theoretical analysis, drawing on both sociology and social psychology, which they apply to their own case studies and to other instances of disorder, from Grosvenor Square in 1968 to Wapping in 1986. They also consider the possible impact of new public order legislation, and the policy implications of their research.

"Chas Critcher's study is doubly welcome as it discusses theoretical underpinnings thoroughly, and also provides a set of illustrative case studies... This is an important and stimulating book for a range of audiences." VISTA Vol 8 no 3 How are social problems defined and responded to in contemporary society? What is the role of the media in creating, endorsing and sustaining moral panics? The term `moral panic' is frequently applied to sudden outbreaks of concern about social problems. Chas Critcher critically evaluates the usefulness of moral panic models for understanding how politicians, the public and pressure groups come to recognise apparent new threats to the social order, and he scrutinizes the role of the media, especially the popular press. Two models of moral panics are identified and explained, then applied to a range of case studies: AIDS; rave culture and the drug ecstasy; video nasties; child abuse; paedophilia. Examples of moral panics from a range of countries reveal many basic similarities but also significant variations between different national contexts. The conclusion is that moral panic remains a useful tool for analysis but needs more systematic connection to wider theoretical concerns, especially those of the risk society and discourse analysis.

Moral Panics in the Contemporary World represents the best current theoretical and empirical work on the topic, taken from the international conference on moral panics held at Brunel University. The range of contributors, from established scholars to emerging ones in the field, and from a working journalist as well, helps to cover a wide range of moral panics, both old and new, and extend the geographical scope of moral panic analysis to previously underrepresented areas. Designed from the outset to comprise a coherent and integrated set of viewpoints which share a common engagement with critically exploring moral panics in the contemporary world, it contains case studies instantly recognisable and familiar to a student readership (drugs, alcohol, sexual abuse and racism). The collection brings a fresh approach to analysis and argument by testing and extending the concept of moral panic and analyzing a range of topics and geographical contexts, accurately reflecting the state-of-the-art moral panics research today.

Moral Panics in the Contemporary World represents the best current theoretical and empirical work on the topic, taken from the international conference on moral panics held at Brunel University. The range of contributors, from established scholars to emerging ones in the field, and from a working journalist as well, helps to cover a wide range of moral panics, both old and new, and extend the geographical scope of moral panic analysis to previously underrepresented areas. Designed from the outset to comprise a coherent and integrated set of viewpoints which share a common engagement with critically exploring moral panics in the contemporary world, it contains case studies instantly recognisable and familiar to a student readership (drugs, alcohol, sexual abuse and racism). The collection brings a fresh approach to analysis and argument by testing and extending the concept of moral panic and analyzing a range of topics and geographical contexts, accurately reflecting the state-of-the-art moral panics research today.

This special 35th anniversary edition contains the original, unchanged text that inspired a generation, alongside two new chapters that explore the book's continued significance for today's readers. The Preface provides a brief retrospective account of the book's original structure, the rich ethnographic, intellectual and theoretical work that informed it, and the historical context in which it appeared. In the new Afterword, each of the authors takes up a specific theme from the original book and interrogates it in the light of current crises, perspectives and contexts.