Concurring that the more sociology and history draw upon each other's discipline, the better for both, this paper argues that the study of mass media presentations of deviance is one line of inquiry that lends itself to the realization of this dictum. The paper first explores some of the shortcomings that historians and sociologists share, noting that deviants have been regarded as people at the margins of clearly marked, relatively unchanging societal boundaries, when in fact the lines marking off deviance from conformity are typically fluid. The paper then discusses crises of symbols, in which deviance brings together in a sense of outrage an otherwise diverse community, and illustrates the point by using the crisis of symbols precipitated by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other radical Black leaders, and the reconciliation of the crisis achieved by three American news magazines. The rhetorical strategies used to dilute their radicalism and achieve the reconciliation are then explored: contraposing--juxtaposing the subject with opposing symbols; contradistinguishing--contrasting the subject with a counterpart to establish the subject's credentials by calling those of the counterpart into question; consanquinity--manipulating symbols to erase symbolically the distinctions between two figures; reincorporation--the gradual absorption into the mainstream of once radical leaders or institutions; and conversion--depiction of deviants who return to the fold. The paper concludes by noting that media depictions of deviance serve to reaffirm American society as constituted. Thirty-four footnotes are appended. (HTH)