ABSTRACT
Moral panics can be more than simply events to bring about policy change, or policy development or enactment. Moral panic theory "grew out of radical deconstructionism in deviancy theory", and was/is "explained in terms of a broad set of sociological and criminological writings designed to denaturalize, contextualize and criticize constructions of deviance". This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book seeks to position moral panic theory in a history of school education. It aims to expand people's understanding in two distinct ways of the construction of crises and moral panic in school education. First, it seeks to do so at a theoretical level, increasing the understanding of moral panics. Secondly, through a select history of moral panics during the 20th and 21st centuries, it seeks to improve the understanding of the relationship between moral panics and school education, informing about the discourse surrounding moral panic issues in school education.
