Private crusades and public problems. The sociological legacy of Joseph Gusfield
Edited by Stève Bernardin
Presses universitaires de Rennes, 278 p. (Coll. Res publica)
What is a symbolic crusade? How can a private issue become a public, visible, and shared problem? To understand this, this book draws on the seminal work of Joseph Gusfield. It brings together contributions from some twenty researchers from different fields of social science. The authors reveal new uses for the North American sociologist's conceptual tools in areas as diverse as academic failure, air pollution, and the fight against drugs. They testify to the prevalence of dramatization processes (between the desire to raise awareness and the assertion of authority), forms of appropriation of public issues (permanent and potentially exclusive), and possibilities for distancing oneself from dominant discourses (in the sense of resistance or accommodation to stated priorities). Major areas of research are thus emerging, based on Joseph Gusfield's original proposals. They reveal a dynamic, pluralistic, and stimulating legacy, accessible to researchers and citizens alike who reject simplistic explanations of the issues that shape our daily lives.