Rationale for the Encyclopedia

Despite the fact that social problems affect everyone and that they occur on so many levels in so many areas, until now, library reference shelves have lacked a current Encyclopedia of Social Problems. One may find reference works on many specific social issues (such as crime, education, environment, gender, and race), or on related elements (such as social class and social policy), but because social problems are so complex and interconnected, a real need exists for a single reference work that enables the reader to access information about all of these interconnected elements to gain more easily a complete insight and understanding.

Furthermore, most reference works about particular social issues or problems approach their subject from the area of expertise of their authors or editors. To illustrate, political scientists are likely to write about governmental policy, environmentalists about global warming, and criminologists about crime. Yet, as stated earlier, each of these and all other problem areas are interconnected with additional elements of society, and a multidisciplinary approach to even a single problem will better inform the reader. Thus, after completing a particular entry, the reader will find cross-references that will enable him or her to explore other dimensions of that topic within this Encyclopedia.

Also, a simple exposition of historical overviews and empirical data is not sufficient to comprehend the reality of our world. We further require a means to interpret and analyze that information, to gain perspectives into what is happening and why. Here, social theory provides the window into that understanding. No one theory can provide insights into all problems, and each problem can have more than one interpretation. [Page xliii]As mentioned earlier, the various social theories offer different lenses to view the same reality. Accordingly, this Encyclopedia applies theory, wherever applicable, within an entry or as a cross-reference to that entry's content.

To offer a systematic approach to such a vast and complex topic, the Encyclopedia adopts the following organization of social problem themes:

• Aging and the Life Course
• Community, Culture, and Change
• Crime and Deviance
• Economics and Work
• Education
• Family
• Gender Inequality and Sexual Orientation
• Health
• Housing and Urbanization
• Politics, Power, and War
• Population and Environment
• Poverty and Social Class
• Race and Ethnic Relations
• Social Movements
• Social Theory
• Substance Abuse

These topics provide the headings for the Reader's Guide, with all of the articles in the Encyclopedia appearing under one or more of these broad themes. As the list indicates, the scope of the Encyclopedia encompasses the major subject areas found in social problems textbooks and in current research. As such, it attempts to meet the needs of all who utilize this reference work.

Content and Organization

The Encyclopedia is composed of 632 articles arranged in alphabetical order and ranging in length from about 500 to 3,000 words. Although we believe that this reference work provides the most comprehensive coverage possible in its wide range of material, no encyclopedia can possibly include all of the subfields and specific applications of social problems on individual, local, regional, national, and global levels. Nevertheless, we are confident that the reader investigating virtually any social problem will find in this reference work a rich treasure of information and insights.

Because so many of the topics discussed in the Encyclopedia relate to other topics, every article has cross-references to other entries in the Encyclopedia. In addition, a list of Further Readings accompanies each article. The Reader's Guide will also enable any user of the Encyclopedia to find many articles related to each of the broad themes appearing in this work.

Creation of the Encyclopedia

A systematic, step-by-step process led to the creation of the Encyclopedia:

• 1.
  After first developing a prospectus for this project, I identified some of the leading U.S. scholars in various social problem areas, whose highly respected research and leadership would bring much to this effort. I then invited their participation as associate editors and happily succeeded in that quest.
• 2.
  The associate editors and I began to develop a list of headword entries. We approached this task by examining all of the leading university texts in social problems to create an initial list of potential headwords. We also reviewed the Special Problems Divisions of the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP), as well as the papers presented at SSSP meetings and/or published in its Social Problems journal in the past five years, to identify the subject areas of interest to educators and scholars. In addition, we conducted content computer searches of articles published within the past 5 years in other leading journals in all relevant fields. From these varied sources and through a series of brainstorming sessions, we refined and expanded the headword list until we were satisfied that we had a comprehensive list.
• 3.
  Armed with the final headword list, the editors collectively began to develop a list of potential contributors for each topic. The associate editors and I first assumed responsibility for certain topics in our areas of expertise. We next identified potential authors from our own network of professional colleagues as well as from the recently published articles and conference paper presenters identified in the previous step. This ever-widening search for the best scholars in the field [Page xliv]eventually resulted in our securing contributors from 18 countries: Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, New Zealand, Romania, Scotland, Singapore, Turkey, and throughout the United States, including Hawaii. This is truly an international effort in addition to an interdisciplinary one.
• 4.
  Each author received detailed submission guidelines and writing samples to illustrate the approach, format, style, substance, and level of intellectual rigor that we required. As general editor, I reviewed their submitted drafts for content accuracy and completeness, as well as grammar and style, and suggested revisions (sometimes several revisions) of virtually every article before assigning it final-draft status.
• 5.
  In different phases at the next level, Sage editors further reviewed the articles for clarity of expression, objectivity, and writing style to ensure that each entry was of the highest caliber in its content and presentation.
• 6.
  This lengthy process of selection, evaluation, constructive criticism, refinement, and review at multiple levels has resulted in not only an encyclopedia about which we are quite proud, but also one that the reader can confidently embrace.

Acknowledgments

This project began when Ben Penner, acquisitions editor for Sage Publications, approached me with the idea of developing a two-volume encyclopedia on social problems. He found in me a receptive audience. As with all sociologists, my teaching, public speaking, research, and writing focus in one way or another on some aspect of this broad subject matter. I am also the author of a social problems textbook that went through six editions. Moreover, I was attracted by the immense challenge of this endeavor, and I believed that such an inclusive reference work would fill an important void in this area by providing, in one work, the reliable information not just on a specific topic, but also on its related and/or interconnected topics. Thus, the idea of creating a major reference work that would be both comprehensive and comprehensible was too enticing a professional enterprise to refuse.

The associate editors—Margaret Andersen, Joel Best, William Kornblum, Claire Renzetti, and Mary Romero—were each important in the development of this Encyclopedia. They helped shape the content, suggested names of contributors, offered me encouragement at times when the project seemed overwhelming, and contributed articles as well. Certainly, the many hundreds of scholars and experts who contributed their expertise to the content of this reference work deserve much appreciation. Sharing with me the belief in this encyclopedia's importance to the field, they all took precious time away from their other demands to write for this publication, then willingly worked to improve the articles according to the editing suggestions.

From the moment of my accepting this project and onward throughout its planning, writing, and editing phases, I worked closely with Yvette Pollastrini, the developmental editor for the Encyclopedia at Sage. Yvette answered all my questions, or quickly found someone who could, and guided me through my own growth as general editor. With a sharp eye and a keen mind, she read every entry for substance and style and never hesitated to ask for clarification of passages that were too technical or too complex for the average reader. As we moved into production, Tracy Buyan, senior project editor and reference production supervisor at Sage, shepherded the Encyclopedia through that phase. I had worked with Tracy previously in the production of the second edition of my Diversity in America book for Sage, so I knew that I was in good hands, and indeed I was. In addition, Colleen Brennan and Pam Suwinsky were outstanding copy editors, going far beyond their normal responsibilities to suggest elements to add to enhance the content.

To all of these people, whether old or new friends or colleagues with whom I was delighted to have worked on this project, I owe a large debt of gratitude. However, I would be remiss if I did not especially thank the one person who lived the entire mulfiyear experience of creating the Encyclopedia. My wife, Beth, listened to my ongoing concerns as the project unfolded, was always understanding when work of the Encyclopedia consumed so many hours of my time, and provided the necessary support to sustain me through the difficult days.