The Structure of Society and the Nature of Social Research

Bibliographic Data

ID11277866
AuthorsJames S Coleman (University of Chicago, corresponding author)
Year1980
Volume1
Issue3
Pages333-350
Publication date1980-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueKnowledge (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0164-0259 • E-ISSN: 2673-9585
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/107554708000100301
OpenAlexW2023197418
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited6

There have been &dquo;schools&dquo; of sociology that have characterized the discipline at different times in its history. In part, these schools have grown, flourished, and declined with the life cycles of particular persons dominant in these schools-for example, Robert Park of the Chicago school or Paul Lazarsfeld of the Columbia school. But in part, the schools ’ growth and decline are related to broader changes in society. By focusing on these changes, we can gain both greater insight into social structure and greater insight into the emerging role of social research in that structure. 1 The Chicago School and its Decline The Chicago school of sociology flourished in the first quarter of this century, into the second quarter, maintaining some strength up until World War II. There were, at the turn of the century, sociolo-gists with at least as strong credentials as those of Albion Small at Chicago: Ross at Wisconsin, Giddings at Columbia, Cooley at Michi-gan, and Sumner at Yale. But the &dquo;Chicago school,&dquo; under Small, was dominant. This was in part due to its organizational independence in the university, but in part it was certainly due to the focus of the Chicago School.2 It was a sociology characterized by several elements: a focus on the city, a focus upon immigrants and their adaptation, a focus on marginal persons, and a focus on marginal or deviant subcultures. It was associated with private philanthropy and with reform movements in

Political science · Sociology · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving

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