Sociology & Criminology for a Changing World
Stephen Lyng is an American sociologist best known for his development of the concept of edgework, which explores voluntary risk-taking and the emotional thrills associated with transgressive behavior. He has held academic positions at multiple universities and has contributed significantly to the fields of cultural criminology, deviance, and the sociology of risk. Lyng’s work draws
Jack Katz is an American sociologist and criminologist best known for his phenomenological approach to crime and deviance. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he taught sociology and criminology for several decades. Katz’s work stands out for its emphasis on the emotional, moral, and sensual dynamics of criminal
Elijah Anderson (born 1943) is an American sociologist and ethnographer, currently serving as the Sterling Professor of Sociology at Yale University. Known for his detailed urban ethnographies, Anderson has extensively studied the cultural norms, social interactions, and survival strategies of residents in inner-city neighborhoods, focusing on race, class, and inequality in urban America. Anderson’s work
Albert K. Cohen (1918–2014) was an American sociologist and criminologist best known for his work on delinquent subcultures. As a professor at the University of Connecticut, Cohen challenged traditional explanations of juvenile delinquency by emphasizing the role of status frustration and cultural adaptation. His influential theory, outlined in Delinquent Boys (1955), argued that working-class youth
James W. Messerschmidt is an American sociologist and criminologist known for his influential work on the intersections of gender, power, and crime. He is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Southern Maine. Messerschmidt’s research critically examines how masculinity is constructed, maintained, and enacted in relation to criminal behavior, and how social structures shape
Emily Lenning is an American criminologist whose research focuses on the intersections of crime, justice, and queer theory. Her work critically examines how systems of power and inequality affect LGBTQ+ communities, and she has been instrumental in shaping the field of queer criminology. Lenning’s contributions bridge feminist and critical criminology with queer perspectives, offering new