Hawdon, James E.

Dr. James Hawdon completed his B.A. at Pennsylvania State University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of Virginia. He served as an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies at Clemson University. He recently joined the faculty at Virginia Polytechnic and State University as an Associate Professor of Sociology. His research interests include crime and violence, deviant behavior, comparative historical analysis, and political sociology. In addition to his book on intergovernmental organizations, he has published dozens of articles and reports in the areas of drug use, crime, deviance and policing.

Drug and Alcohol Consumption as Functions of Social Structures. A Cross-Cultural Sociology

2005 0-7734-6187-6
Uses classical sociological theory to demonstrate how the processes of rationalization and modernization have altered why, how, and how frequently people consume drugs. As cultural and structural changes increase heterogeneity and individuation, social controls over drug use weaken. Drug use therefore becomes increasingly widespread among the general population, a greater variety of drugs are used, drugs are used more frequently and drugs are used more for individualistic and profane reasons as opposed to communal and sacred reasons. In addition, the theory explains the variations in rates of drug use over time in the United States, Great Britain, Japan, Israel, and the former Soviet Republics. Finally, the theory explains the evolution of the drug subculture in the United States since 1940s.