Studies in Moral Regulation

Franзois Boudreau is a professor of sociology at Laurentian University
in Sudbury.

This collection of articles is a reprint of an issue of the Canadian
Journal of Sociology that appeared in 1994. The editor’s introduction,
which emphasizes that moral regulation has to be studied within the
purview of the state formation, is followed by articles on the women’s
discourse on proper behavior among females in Bengal; the feminization
of pedagogy; the urban sexual discourse on women in 1940s Toronto; and
the moral regulation of single mothers in Ontario.

Although well-written and compelling from an empirical standpoint, the
book as a whole adopts a pro-Marxist stance but fails to provide what
many would consider a proper critical appraisal of Marxism’s value and
coherence as a global critique of both historical and contemporary
society. Moreover, the authors (understandably) draw upon the work of
Michel Foucault, yet they fail to give consideration to those working in
the field of moral regulation who have followed in Foucault’s wake.

Despite these flaws, Studies in Moral Regulation should hold some
interest for students of Canadian sociology.