ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the problem of Satanism using a social constructionist framework. It examines seventy-five Canadian news articles from 1980–1989 and consists telephone interviews to obtain a picture of how the problem is emerging, the groups involved, and the claims being made. The chapter provides an examination of the use of rhetoric in claims and explores the role of the news media and American experts in promoting the problem. It examines four basic themes to see how they apply to Satanism: the role of the Canadian news media, the role of experts from the United States, Satanism as a vehicle for other social problems, and the natural history of Satanism as a social problem. Seven major categories of claims-makers were identified: police agencies and individual police officers; child welfare workers; the news media including talk show hosts; mental health professionals including social workers; participants and their families; cult monitoring organizations; and Christian religious leaders.
