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"The goal of . . . [this book] is to forge a closer relationship between art and sociology. The link is that individual conduct studied by sociologists is like planned and rehearsed theatrical actions, which is the concern of theater critics. . . . This is a thought-provoking book." -D. Harper, Choice In recent years the social sciences and the humanities have drawn closer to each other in thought and method. Sociologist Joseph R. Gusfield draws upon drama and fiction to show how human action is shaped by the formal dimensions of performance. Following the philosopher Paul Ricouer, Gusfield s

This paper discusses the ambiguities and levels of public policy, with emphasis on the consequences of the visibility of policy statements. The symbolic aspects of public policy are analyzed, and the character of meanings other than those attributed by scientific experts is discussed. Impli cations of "drugs" as related to youth and cultural change help to explain limitations on the use of knowledge in public policy. A distinction is drawn between visible policy and the policy of day-to-day action. Several ways in which knowledge does contribute to policy are then specified.

The role of public knowledge in the formation of drug policies is examined along with a discussion of the ambiguities of the term "public policy." An aura of publicity surrounds public policy that does not accurately reflect its functional character. In this light, public debate operates on a symbolic & emotive level. This is investigated in terms of the new youth culture wherein drug users have become culturally dominant, thus demanding change in legislative priorities. Scientific knowledge has uprooted some of the negative prejudices against drug use thereby influencing the domain of political knowledge. Here, the effectiveness of that knowledge is considered in the sphere of public debate. Between the public & the drug user, the politician is seen as a moralizing buffer who prevents open conflict. M. Dorian.