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From Abusive Families to Internet Predators?

The Rise, Retraction and Reconfiguration of Sexual Abuse as a Social Problem in Canada

Victoria University of Wellington, John.Pratt{at}vuw.ac.nz

This article traces the development, retraction and reconfiguration of the way in which sexual abuse has been understood as a social problem in Canada. It looks at the processes of its social construction and situates these within a theoretical framework derived from Ian Hacking's work on transient mental illness. It argues that sexual abuse was able to flourish as a social problem because of the `ecological niche' constituted by the presence of four vectors: cultural polarity, observability, recognition of victims and expert classification. As this confluence has changed, however, so too has the framework of understanding that had been provided for it, leading to its current retraction and reconfiguration.

Key Words: Canada • classification • cultural polarity • internet • mental illness • sexual abuse • victims

Current Sociology, Vol. 57, No. 1, 69-88 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0011392108097453


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