The death of the sociology of deviance?

This article explores the proposition that the sociology of deviance and criminology have entered into a state of crisis. This has important implications as these are important fields of applied social science where most forms of sociological inquiry have been utilised. The implication that these approaches are not illuminating relevant problems nor suggesting effective policy responses has obvious consequences for other areas of sociology. This paper reviews the general condition of these fields, the argument that they are in a critical condition, and also explores some innovative responses. It finds that the crisis involves three components: a perceived failure of previous theoretical traditions and intimations of a new paradigm; the deconstruction and purported collapse of foundational concepts; and the discrediting of traditional forms of state interventionism as the central strategy in managing crime and social deviance. It proposes that while these do constitute a crisis, there is also an emerging paradigm, central to which is the proposition that 'the social' is no longer a viable foundational concept. This is exemplified by an emerging 'post-social' Foucaultian neo-liberalism, which is both a response to and a symptom of the crisis, but which is not yet fully convincing as the basis of a new paradigm.