Stanley Cohen was a leading figure in the development of deviance sociology and critical criminology. His work Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1972) became a foundational text in understanding how media, state institutions, and public discourse construct and amplify deviant identities. Cohen introduced the influential concepts of moral panic and folk devils, which have since become central to the analysis of societal reactions to deviance. His research emphasized the symbolic and political dimensions of social control, and he was deeply concerned with issues of human rights, state repression, and surveillance. Later in his career, he critically examined processes of denial and normalization in the face of atrocities and systemic violence. Cohen’s interdisciplinary approach bridged sociology, criminology, and human rights scholarship.
