Governing Morals: A Social History of Moral Regulation / Edition 1

by Alan Hunt

Overview

This broad-ranging history of moral regulation in Britain and the United States from the late seventeenth century onward, covers specific movements such as the Society for the Reformation of Manners, the Vice Society, sexual abuse and anti-pornography movements, and self-help movements. Hunt argues that the main impetus for moral regulations often stems from the middle classes, rather than those with institutional power, but most significantly they provide classic instances of the intimate link between the "governance of others" and the "governance of the self."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521646895
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/13/1999
Series:	Cambridge Studies in Law and Society
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	284
Product dimensions:	6.06(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.71(d)

Table of Contents

1. The theory and politics of moral regulation; 2. Compulsion to virtue: societies for the reformation of manners and the prosecution of vice; 3. Moral regulation from above: the vice society; 4. From sexual purity to social hygiene, 1870–1918; 5. Moral regulation in America; 6. Sexual purity, maternal feminism and class in late-Victorian Britain; 7. Traditionalizing moral regulation: making sense of contemporary moral politics.

Editorial Reviews

"...a sweeping new interpretation of moral reformers that not only challenges conventional interpretations but also engages feminist history, as well as Foucauldian sensibilities, about the relation link between governance of others and governance of the self." P.C. Kemeny, Social Forces

"Governing Morals is a thoughtful and valiant effort to re-invent historical sociology drawing on a much broader range of theoretical resources than were available to Weber." Mariana Valverde, CJS Online

"This book succeeds on several levels and is well organized in its almost definitive coverage of specific periods of moral regulation efforts in Great Britain and the United States. Hunt provides a clear rationale behind the selection of each of the social movement. If the reader can maneuver around some of the excessive post-modern language, there are multitude of interesting ideas, and even some gems in this book...the book is well positioned for use in law courses as well as political science and other social science courses. Hunt provides a clear thesis that he tackles with gusto..." The Law and POlitics Book Review

From the Publisher