Social Bridges and Contexts in Criminology and Sociology

This book considers the intellectual legacy of James F. Short, Jr., to criminology and sociology, and covers the full range of his pioneering research on suicide and homicide, criminological theory, self-report methodology, microsocial group processes, and the etiology of gang violence and delinquency.

Social Bridges and Contexts in Criminology and Sociology brings together leading scholars to commemorate the illustrious career and enduring contributions of Professor James F. Short, Jr., to the social sciences. Although Professor Short is best known as a gang scholar, he was a bridging figure who advanced the study of human behavior across multiple domains.

Individual chapters document Professor Short's intellectual development and highlight the significance of his theoretical and empirical work in a range of specialty areas, including suicide and homicide, criminological theory, field and self-report survey research methodologies, white-collar crime, hazards and risks, levels of explanation, microsocial group processes, and the etiology of gang violence and delinquency. A special feature of this book is the collection of brief personal reflection essays appearing after the main chapters. Authored by Professor Short's students, colleagues, collaborators, and friends, these essays provide powerful testimonials of the influence of his intellectual legacy as well as his generous spirit and commitment to mentorship.

Written in a clear and direct style, this book will appeal to students and scholars of criminology and sociology, and all those interested in the important contributions of Professor James F. Short, Jr., to these subject areas.

Autorentext

Lorine A. Hughes, PhD, is Professor of Criminal Justice in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver. Her research and teaching interests include gangs, criminological theory, comparative criminology, social networks, and quantitative methods. She studied under Jim Short at Washington State University and collaborated with him for nearly two decades. Together, they digitized and reanalyzed Short and Strodtbeck's Chicago gang data using modern methods. Resulting publications have appeared in Criminology, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, and Social Forces.

Lisa M. Broidy, PhD, is Regents' Professor of Sociology and Criminology at the University of New Mexico and Adjunct Professor at Griffith Criminology Institute in Brisbane Australia. Broadly, her scholarship focuses on the causes of crime, with a particular emphasis on the ways in which gender, life course transitions, institutional contact, strains (including victimization and trauma), and emotions influence offending behavior and related outcomes. Combining these interests, she is currently involved in projects in both Australia and the US that examine the impact of criminal justice contact on the well-being of mothers and their children.

Inhalt

Part One Intellectual Roots 1. Reflections on Disciplines and Fields, Problems, Policies, and Life 2. James F. Short, Jr.A Legacy of Integration 3. Jim Short and the Chicago School of Sociology Part Two Early Career Contributions 4. Understanding Lethal Violence: Homicide and Suicide 5. Measuring Individual Behaviors with Self-Reports: The Case of Self-Reported Delinquency Part Three Crowning Insights 6. Core Controversies and Debates in the Study of Gangs 7. Levels of Explanation and the Group Process Perspective 8.Social Observation, Participation, and Ethnography 9. Status Management and Situational Inducements to Violence 10. Collective Action, Rational Choice, and Gang Delinquency: Appreciating Short and Strodtbeck ([1965] 1974) Part Four Novel Applications to Knowledge and Policy 11. Group Process and Knowledge Formation in Context: Gang Delinquency and Mass Atrocity Crimes 12. Government Commissions and the Search for Knowledge: Basic and Applied Part Five Reflection Essays 1. James F. Short, Jr.: A Remembrance 2. How Dr. Short Became Jim 3. Jim Short, All-American Advocate 4. Personal Reflections on the Impact of James F. Short, Jr. 5. I Still Blame Jodie Foster 6. Roads Well Traveled and A Life Well Lived 7. Remembering Jim Short