SOC346H5 Chapter 1-5: Readings (Test 1)
Document Summary
Mary douglas socio-cultural theory of risk: in putting forward a cultural relativist position, her aim is to uncover how our understanding of these dangers is constructed through social, cultural and political processes. Through these processes certain dangers and hazards become defined as risks," while others do not. However, contrary to the notion that young people choose to use drugs because they are ignorant of the real" consequences, researching drugs in order to better understand their effects and consequences was common in our sample. What is important to note here is that risk was often not viewed in absolute terms, but was relative. Not all drugs were seen to pose the same risks, or even the same degree of risk. But just as the risk of using different drugs was relative, some respondents also argued that the potential harm of any one substance had to be evaluated against other everyday dangers.
