Abstract
Although Spector and Kitsuse’s Constructing Social Problems (CSP) is often credited with launching constructionist theory, this obscures the contributions of other sociologists pursuing parallel lines of research. CSP’s advocacy of a strict constructionist position has largely been ignored by constructionist researchers. Although some conflist-oriented socioogists argue that it is time to move beyond constructionism, it remains the best-developed theory of social problems. At the same time, it is necessary to develop the theory in new directions, particularly by synthesizing case studies.
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Notes
These are my terms (Best 1989). I borrowed the term strict constructionism from Richard Nixon, who as president, said that he was seeking to nominate strict constructionist judges to the Supreme Court. It was a way of poking fun at what I saw as an untenable stance. To my delight, the label stuck.
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Best, J. The Bumblebee Flies Anyway: the Success of Contextual Constructionism. Am Soc 50, 220–227 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12108-018-9386-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12108-018-9386-0