Module 2 Assignment – Stigma and Stigmatization

This module we read about stigma and stigmatization. Goffman’s largely considered the father of stigma, but the examples in his book are…cringe (did I use that word correctly?). He focused on marihuana smoking jazz musicians (and jazz musicians more generally) and disabled people. We will talk a little about disability and stigma in a few weeks, but the jazz musician thing? Yikes. 

Researching populations where we are outsiders and/or have low levels of cultural competency is a serious problem for academics, particularly when it comes to something like deviance where we essentially label as we research. So this week, I’d like you to reflect on the readings and academia in general.

More specifically, I’d like you to think about a specific deviant identity/act and really explore how academia has either increased or decreased the stigma against this group. Please use examples. This may necessitate some outside research for articles on your topic.

Module 2 Assignment – Stigma and Stigmatization Answer

Deviant act or identity is a departure from the norm or what society commonly expects that its members will do, espouse and act. Deviance is one of the interesting subjects of sociological research because it can shed light on the processes of discourse production, norm formulation and how those who depart from the norm develop their own identity. However, because of scholarly inquiry, interpretation of findings and the publication of results, the academe can also contribute in the stigmatization of certain acts, identities or groups of people