Moral Panic and the Politics of Anxiety is a collection of original essays written by some of the world's leading social scientists. It seeks to provide unique insight into the importance of moral panic as a routine feature of everyday life, whilst also developing an integrated framework for moral panic research by widening the scope of scholarship in the area.

Foreword by Kenneth Thompson 1. Introduction: Bringing Moral Panic Studies into Focus by Sean P. Hier Part 1: Conceptualizing Moral Panic Studies Section Introduction by Sean P. Hier 2. Grounding and Defending the Sociology of Moral Panic by Erich Goode and Nachman Ben-Yehuda 3. Locating Moral Panics within the Sociology of Social Problems by Joel Best 4. Fractious Rivals? Moral Panics and Moral Regulation by Alan Hunt 5. Shifting the Focus? Moral Panics as Civilizing and Decivilizing Processes by Amanda Rohloff Part 2: Examining Moral Panic Studies Section Introduction by Sean P. Hier 6. The Objectification of Fear and the Grammar of Morality by Frank Furedi 7. How Emotions Matter to Moral Panic by Kevin Walby and Dale Spencer 8. Folk Devils Reconsidered by Mary deYoung 9. The Duality of the Devil: Realism, Relationalism, and Representation by James Meades Part 3: Applying Moral Panic Studies Section Introduction by Sean P. Hier 10. Panic, Regulation, and the Moralization of British Law and Order Politics by Dan Lett, Sean P. Hier, Kevin Walby, and Andre Smith 11. Drunken Antics: The Gin Craze, Binge Drinking, and the Political Economy of Moral Regulation by Chas Critcher 12. The Artful Creation of a Global Moral Panic: Climatic Folk Devils, Environmental Evangelicals, and the Coming Catastrophie by Sheldon Ungar 13. When Harm is Done: Panic, Scandal, and Blame by Graham Knight and Juliet Roper 14. The Unhealthy Risk Society: Health Scares and the Politics of Moral Panic by Daniel Beland