Crime as Structured Action

Gender, Race, Class, and Crime in the Making

"James W. Messerschmidt's book pushes the boundaries of criminology and gender research. Vivid material, imaginative analysis, important issues."

--R. W. Connell, Professor of Sociology, University of Sydney, Australia

A captivating book that advances new developments in theoretical criminology, Crime as Structured Action explores the relation between structure and action and among gender, race, and class, both of which are at the forefront of contemporary debates in the social sciences. Author James W. Messerschmidt skillfully demonstrates that to understand crime we must appreciate how crime operates through a complex series of gender, race, and class practices. Crime must be examined by focusing on people in specific social settings, what they do to construct social relations and social structures, and how these social structures constrain and channel behavior in specific ways. The twin focal points of Messerschmidt's approach are the inseparability of structure and action and the situational salience of constructing gender, race, class, and those acts we label "crime."

Engaging and thought-provoking, Crime as Structured Action appeals to a broad readership that includes researchers, academics, and students in the fields of criminology, sociology, gender studies, and social work.