Social Construction Of Deviance

Deviance is a socially constructed idea that takes many shapes and forms throughout human history. It can be defined in many different ways, can be applied to many different settings and numerous types of bodies. Throughout the course, the social construct of deviance presents itself in multiple readings. For instance, in the article written by Jennifer Morgan, deviance is socially constructed by European males and applied onto African female bodies.

In the writing by Jennifer Morgan, readers are introduced to the effects of European explorers in Africa. The African female bodies these explorers encountered are unlike European women’s, and it fascinates them and implores them to observe and send home their findings. While some men, such as,

This has not always been the case, but society has attempted to find ways to justify this classification. Society’s attempt to cast homosexuality as deviant started with comparing homosexual bodies to heterosexual bodies, using heterosexuals as the standard for normal. Some scientists believed that homosexual people had an unhealthy “pathological condition” that caused “disorders of the brain”, which then leads to homosexuality (Terry 131). Scientists also believed that homosexuality was a condition where humans lose their “adaptive ability”, causing them to engage in homosexual behavior instead of pursuing a heterosexual relationship which will further the species ( Terry 132). By attributing more disabilities to the idea of the homosexual, society was socially constructing their deviance. Despite the fact that none of these theories could be proven, the mere idea that homosexual people were missing something pathological boxed their bodies into a deviant category. In addition, scientists also believed that genitalia could give some insight to why a person was homosexual. These scientists create diagrams and drawings of homosexual genitalia and tried to portray them as deviant and abnormal. For instance, Robert Dickinson, a scientist studying genitals and their relation to homosexuality, believed that larger genitalia suggested homosexual tendencies (Terry 141-143). Comparing his drawing of

For instance, as stated by Jennifer Morgan, “writers rarely employed black women’s breasts or behavior for anything but concrete evidence of barbarism in Africa” (62). The European writers constructed this barbaric image of African woman to justify their lower position in society. Similar to Molina’s and Terry’s works where Mexican immigrants and homosexuals were presented as disease ridden and disabled bodies by the medical and scientific community in order to justify their discrimination. Forms of identification also play a role in constructing deviance. Birth certificates construct and limit people to certain genders that are considered normative. Unfortunately, Due to the fact that none of these bodies fit into the socially constructed ideas of normal, white, heterosexual person, they are all considered