On Scandal: Moral Disturbances in Society, Politics, and Art

In this sweeping treatment of scandal, sociologist Adut considers “previously misunderstood aspects of the contexts in which [scandals] have erupted,” however “ephemeral and frivolous” those scandals may seem. Her book is a scholarly probe for an understanding of “when wrongdoings generate scandals and when they do not.” She examines the effect of scandals involving the American presidency, French political corruption and modern art. Transgression is the key for the perceived or actual moral disturbance and distinguishes scandal from its cousins, gossip and rumor. The meaningful academic distinction between constructivist and objectivist sociologists informs, but sometimes impedes, the general reader’s grasp. However, the questions Adut addresses (“why did society ostracize [Wilde] so mercilessly for something that was hardly news?”; how did a “flubbed burglary” become the “famous [Watergate] scandal”?) make persisting through the jargon intellectually worthwhile and occasionally entertaining. (Oct.)