Includes bibliographical references (pages 99-103) and index.
Contents:
Introduction : scandals, panics and crusades -- Jimmy Savile : man, monster, celebrity -- Remembering the past : good old days -- bad old days -- Childhood at risk : how children became so precious -- The inflation of abuse and the rise of the victim -- Modern demonology : ritual abuse, conspiracy and cover-up -- The crisis of authority and the cult of judicial inquiry -- Conclusion : how the moral crusades harm us all.
Summary:
"Moral Crusades in an Age of Mistrust examines the sociological meaning of the sudden transformation of Jimmy Savile, the cultural icon, into the personification of evil. The epidemic of scandals unleashed by the Savile Scandal highlights the precarious status of relations of trust. The rapid escalation of this crisis offers insights into the relationship between anxieties about childhood and the wider moral order. This exploration of the emergence of a moral crusade explains why western society has become so uncomfortable with the exercise of authority."--Page 4 of cover.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.