The Sociology of Bullying - (Critical Perspectives on Youth) by Christopher Donoghue (Paperback)

About the Book

"This book takes form in this edited volume on aggressive adolescent behavior that employs sociological theories and empirical research to better understand the social aspects of bullying. Leading sociologists and other social scientists consider ways in which a sociological understanding of bullying can advance research and inform anti-bullying school policies"--

Book Synopsis

An important new collection on the nature and consequences of bullying

School shootings and suicides by young victims of bullying have spurred a proliferation of anti-bullying programs, yet most of the research done on school bullying has been from psychologists. The Sociology of Bullying will be the first volume to present the leading ideas in sociology about bullying among adolescents that moves beyond an individualistic approach and instead offers ideas about how to address bullying as a byproduct of social systems, biases, and status hierarchies. Sociologists investigate the impact of social forces on bullying among adolescents, such as inequality, heteronormativity, militarized capitalism, racism, cancel culture, power, and competition.

Contributors explore a wide range of key topics, such as how homophobia and gender normativity encourage bullying; how anti-bullying curricula can ultimately lead to more bullying; and how adolescents use bullying against their friends to improve their own social standing. By advancing sociological perspectives on bullying, this important volume aims to shift the national conversation from one that focuses on villainizing bullies to one that encourages an inward look at the aspects of our culture that foster bullying behavior among children.

Review Quotes

"

This highly accessible volume provides a comprehensive overview of the complexities and multi-faceted contextual layers of the causes, correlates, and consequences associated with school bullying.

"--Anthony A. Peguero, co-author of Immigration and School Safety

"This important collection challenges the simplistic narratives around bullying that present young people as inherently mean and aggressive or mindlessly hungry for status and peer approval. It invites readers to consider the larger contexts, conditions, and unequal social structures that produce bullying and highlights the need for a more sociological approach to anti-bullying policies and interventions. The Sociology of Bullying is an incredibly rich resource for educators, policy-makers, and researchers who want to better understand this complex social phenomenon."-- "Jessica Taft, author of The Kids Are in Charge: Activism and Power in Peru's Movement of Working Children"

About the Author

Christopher Donoghue is Associate Professor of Sociology at Montclair State University. He is the co-author of Statistics: A Tool for Social Research and Data Analysis.