Donald Black – författare

This revised paperback edition features a new prologue and updated citations. The book extends the theoretical approach of Black's classic "Behavior of Law" (Academic Press, 1976) to a dramatically larger universe: the handling of conflict across societies and history. It also introduces and illustrates Black's "pure sociology", a new theoretical paradigm applicable to human behavior of every kind. It provides current sociological theory on largely unexplored topics such as vengeance, discipline, avoidance, pacification, negotiation and toleration. It contains new concepts and typologies applicable to partisan and nonpartisan forms of conflict management. It illustrates modern theoretical perspectives on: crime as self-help; the broadening liability of organizations; social control of the self; the behavior of third parties; partisanship as social gravitation; and moralism as social repulsion.

Conflict attracts a great deal of attention--as much or more than any other element of human life. People generally dislike it, and try to prevent and avoid it as much as possible. So why do clashes of right and wrong occur? And why are some clashes worse than others? In Moral Time, Donald Black shows how changes in intimacy (friends or strangers?), inequality (rich or poor?), and cultural diversity (Christian or Jew?) all determine when conflict happens. A reduction of closeness or a display of disrespect alters a relationship, for example, and the greater and faster the change, the more likely conflict will ensue. Throughout the book, Black applies his theory to an astounding range of human behavior, from bad manners to crime and warfare, accusations of witchcraft, racism, and anti-Semitism, conflict about creativity in science and art. Written in Black's trademark straightforward style, Moral Time is a powerful and incisive new take on conflict--a fundamental and inescapable feature of social life.

Hailed as one of the most important works in the history of sociology, and a precursor to the revolutionary theoretical approach of pure sociology, this short and lucid book is as relevant today as when it was first published in 1976. To honour this seminal book, Emerald is pleased to announce that it will publish a special edition of "The Behavior of Law", including a number of additional features: a new foreword from Mark Cooney; an interview with the author, entitled "How Law Behaves"; reflections from a number of prominent sociologists on "The Behavior of Law"'s impact over the last thirty years. It features an author profile written by Randall Collins.