I am an author and researcher in the fields of sociology and criminology. My main interests are the social scientific study of rumor, social theory, the history of drugs and alcohol, and public health. After receiving my doctorate in sociology from the City University of New York Graduate Center, I did a post-doctoral fellowship in behavioral science at National Research and Development Institutes in New York City. In 2004, I published my first book, No Way of Knowing: Crime, Urban Legends, and the Internet with Routledge. My second book, Drink Spiking and Predatory Drugging: A Modern History, was released in July 2016 by Palgrave Macmillan.
I taught sociology and criminology at the university level since 1993 and I have been working on two new projects: one on the self-storage industry in the United States, and the other on the unwieldy field of rumor studies across disciplines.
I’m also a freelance editor, mostly for articles and books in the social sciences and humanities.
Mastodon: http://c.im/@pamelaldonovan | @pameladonovan.bsky.social
New article by V. Campion-Vincent on the needle-spiking scares in UK and EUR last year
What became of the needle-spiking scares of 2021 and 2022? Neither a crime wave nor a hoax, it turns out. Veronique Campion-Vincent considers, with meticulous context, the overlooked problem of ostention (life imitates legend) and “pure … aimless, aggressive behavior” – a reality that always seems to be in our analytical blindspot. In the most…
Decluttering and Its Discontents
Anti-decluttering is having a moment. It’s actually been having one for a while. Why?
Interview with BuzzFeed’s Lara Parker, October 2022
“Here Are The Symptoms I Wish I’d Known Beforehand”: This 23-Year-Old Had Her Drink Drugged, And She Is Sharing Her Story To Help Others The problems stemming from ongoing, poor understanding of this public health issue has impacts on practical safety and society-wide policymaking. — PD “Labeling certain drugs ‘date rape drugs’ is not only…
Pamela Donovan 