The social control of sex and food: A brief overview

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/S1521-6136(2010)0000015011
• Date: 21 December 2010
• Pages: 171-184
• Published date: 21 December 2010
• Author: James J. Chriss

THE SOCIAL CONTROL OF SEX

AND FOOD: A BRIEF OVERVIEW

James J. Chriss

ABSTRACT

The concept of social control was formalized with the establishment of

sociology as a scientif‌ic discipline in America in the last two decades

of the 19th century. Two early American sociologists in particular,

Edward A. Ross and Lester F. Ward, were instrumental in the movement

to conceptualize social control and illustrate its applicability with regard

to various social phenomena. During Ross’s time social control has

undergone extensive ref‌inement, represented most recently in Chriss’

typology of social control consisting of informal, legal, and medical

control. In this chapter, informal control is explored specif‌ically as it

relates to the control of sexual activity and food quests beginning in

human antiquity.

INTRODUCTION

On June 11, 2007, Idaho republican senator Larry Craig was arrested in a

police sting operation being conducted in a restroom at the Minneapolis

airport. In his report, undercover police detective Dave Karsnia claimed

that the airport had received complaints about that particular restroom,

Social Control: Informal, Legal and Medical

Sociology of Crime, Law and Deviance, Volume 15, 171–184

Copyright r2010 by Emerald Group Publishing Limited

All rights of reproduction in any form reserved

ISSN: 1521-6136/doi:10.1108/S1521-6136(2010)0000015011

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