Social Bridges and Contexts in Criminology and Sociology brings together leading scholars to commemorate the illustrious career and enduring contributions of Professor James F. Short, Jr., to the social sciences. Although Professor Short is best known as a gang scholar, he was a bridging figure who advanced the study of human behavior across multiple domains.
Individual chapters document Professor Short's intellectual development and highlight the significance of his theoretical and empirical work in a range of specialty areas, including suicide and homicide, criminological theory, field and self-report survey research methodologies, white-collar crime, hazards and risks, levels of explanation, microsocial group processes, and the etiology of gang violence and delinquency. A special feature of this book is the collection of brief personal reflection essays appearing after the main chapters. Authored by Professor Short's students, colleagues, collaborators, and friends, these essays provide powerful testimonials of the influence of his intellectual legacy as well as his generous spirit and commitment to mentorship.
Written in a clear and direct style, this book will appeal to students and scholars of criminology and sociology, and all those interested in the important contributions of Professor James F. Short, Jr., to these subject areas.
About the Author: Lorine A. Hughes, PhD, is Professor of Criminal Justice in the School of Public Affairs at the University of Colorado Denver. Her research and teaching interests include gangs, criminological theory, comparative criminology, social networks, and quantitative methods. She studied under Jim Short at Washington State University and collaborated with him for nearly two decades. Together, they digitized and reanalyzed Short and Strodtbeck's Chicago gang data using modern methods. Resulting publications have appeared in Criminology, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, and Social Forces.
Lisa M. Broidy, PhD, is Regents' Professor of Sociology and Criminology at the University of New Mexico and Adjunct Professor at Griffith Criminology Institute in Brisbane Australia. Broadly, her scholarship focuses on the causes of crime, with a particular emphasis on the ways in which gender, life course transitions, institutional contact, strains (including victimization and trauma), and emotions influence offending behavior and related outcomes. Combining these interests, she is currently involved in projects in both Australia and the US that examine the impact of criminal justice contact on the well-being of mothers and their children.
