The value of the book lies in its reassessment of the distinctive features of the Chicago School, of its contributions in the theoretical and methodological fields and of its influence on the growth of sociology throughout the world and in America in particular. The book pays particularly close attention to the eclectic nature of the research methods used by the Chicago sociologists as they sought to integrate subjective and objective aspects of human life. It demonstrates that this eclecticism formed an integral part of their theories but also emphasises that empirical observation, too, was important, although not as an end in itself. While, for example, they were working on the concepts of organization, marginality and interaction, they did not consider these as ends in themselves but as additions to the development of a more general theoretical approach. Often in the past, and wrongly, Chicago’s theoretical contribution has been restricted to the urban sector. The book clearly and unequivocally reveals how the tendency to see the Chicago School as a 'theoretical' is the result of misinterpretation and of a failure to realize that, for the sociologists of the period, understanding the social dynamics of the city of Chicago was tantamount to interpreting the central tendencies of modern society itself. The book analyzes how empirical observation was important but not an end in itself. The Chicago School developed a profusion of sociological theories in many areas of inquiry and never opted for any one particular approach. The various essays in the book also make it clear that the School decisively contributed to the development of qualitative and quantitative techniques.

From 1915 to 1935 the inventive community of social scientists at the University of Chicago pioneered empirical research and a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods, shaping the future of twentieth-century American sociology and related fields as well. Martin Bulmer's history of the Chicago school of sociology describes the university's role in creating research-based and publication-oriented graduate schools of social science. "This is an important piece of work on the history of sociology, but it is more than merely historical: Martin Bulmer's undertaking is also to explain why historical events occurred as they did, using potentially general theoretical ideas. He has studied what he sees as the period, from 1915 to 1935, when the 'Chicago School' most flourished, and defines the nature of its achievements and what made them possible . . . It is likely to become the indispensible historical source for its topic."—Jennifer Platt, Sociology

A collection of original essays celebrating the legacy of the Chicago School of Sociology during the first half of the 20th century. Contributors - Professor Howard S. Becker, San Francisco, USA. Professor Ian Shaw, University of York, England. Professor Roger A. Salerno, Chair Sociology and Anthropology, Pace University, New York City, USA. Professor Brian Roberts, University of Glamorgan, Wales. Dennis W. MacDonald, Chair and Associate Professor of Sociology, Saint Anselm College, USA. Dr Julie L. Arthur Kirby, Edge Hill University, England. Professor Martyn Hammersley, The Open University, England. Dr Matthias Gross, UFZ, Permoserstr. Leipzig, Germany. Dr Shane Blackman, Canterbury Christ Church University, England. Dr Filipa Subtil, Instituto Politecnico de Lisboa, Portugal and Jose Luis Garcia, Instituto de Ciencias Sociais da Universidade de Lisboa.

Exploring the achievements of British feminist sociology in theory, methods and empirical research, Sara Delamont outlines the barriers to the development of feminism and explores contemporary challenges. She provides an unrivalled guide to the origins of feminism in the discipline of sociology, analyzes the uneasy relationships between feminists and the founding fathers, and elucidates the opportunities and challenges presented by postmodernism.

Oxford, Berlin and Chicago were extraordinarily dynamic centres of theology during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, significant differences in the political climate and culture of each location bred strikingly divergent theological approaches in the universities of each city. Mark Chapman offers a highly original exploration of the subjection of their theologies to the changes and developments of educational policy and national and international politics, shedding light upon the constraints that such external factors have imposed upon the evolution of the discipline. Chapman highlights the efforts of theologians and churchmen to relate the true core of Christianity, a lived religion free of shibboleths, to their rapidly changing world. The opinions of conservative and liberal theologians are skilfully balanced to reveal the problems of critical history, of political authority, of increasing global awareness and of the need for social amelioration, which profoundly shaped the ways in which theology was conceived during the period. New ground has been broken in this inter-disciplinary study of the social, political and ecclesiastical contexts of Western theology. This book will be invaluable to any reader interested in the use of theology as part of the wider quest for social integration and meaning in an increasingly fragmented society.

Although Annie Marion MacLean, teacher, sociologist, and leader, gained international fame as an expert on working women's issues, her significant contributions are overlooked by contemporary scholarship. MacLean was extraordinary by any standard?her level of education; her precedent-setting behaviors, research, methodological innovations, public impact, and writing; her dedication to women's freedom and social justice; and her love for family and friends.MacLean was a vigorous and creative exponent of the forceful spirit of Chicago sociologists. As a graduate of the department of sociology at the University of Chicago, MacLean became one of the founders of the discipline. MacLean was an ally and friend to other sociologists in Chicago who were both students and faculty at the university and at another world-class institution, the social settlement Hull-House. She gained fame as an expert on working women, using ideas to expand their options and respond to their need for social justice.Mary Jo Deegan documents the life, accomplishments, and works of this noted scholar. Deegan explores such topics as Annie Marion MacLean and sociology at the University of Chicago and Jane Addams' Hull-House, MacLean and feminist pragmatism, women and the sociology of work and occupations, women's labor unions and the feminist pragmatist welfare state, the sociology of immigration and race relations, and MacLean's legacy to sociology and society. Her inspiring story will be of interest to those exploring the roots of the discipline of sociology.

Lila Corwin Berman asks why, over the course of the twentieth century, American Jews became increasingly fascinated, even obsessed, with explaining themselves to their non-Jewish neighbors. What she discovers is that language itself became a crucial tool for Jewish group survival and integration into American life. Berman investigates a wide range of sources—radio and television broadcasts, bestselling books, sociological studies, debates about Jewish marriage and intermarriage, Jewish missionary work, and more—to reveal how rabbis, intellectuals, and others created a seemingly endless array of explanations about why Jews were indispensable to American life. Even as the content of these explanations developed and shifted over time, the very project of self-explanation would become a core element of Jewishness in the twentieth century.

The third edition of Handbook of Marriage and the Family describes, analyzes, synthesizes, and critiques the current research and theory about family relationships, family structural variations, and the role of families in society. This updated Handbook provides the most comprehensive state-of-the art assessment of the existing knowledge of family life, with particular attention to variations due to gender, socioeconomic, race, ethnic, cultural, and life-style diversity. The Handbook also aims to provide the best synthesis of our existing scholarship on families that will be a primary source for scholars and professionals but also serve as the primary graduate text for graduate courses on family relationships and the roles of families in society. In addition, the involvement of chapter authors from a variety of fields including family psychology, family sociology, child development, family studies, public health, and family therapy, gives the Handbook a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary framework.

This facsimile collection makes available classic texts from the Chicago School from the 1920s to the 1940s.

This Encyclopedia examines all aspects of the history of science in the United States, with a special emphasis placed on the historiography of science in America. It can be used by students, general readers, scientists, or anyone interested in the facts relating to the development of science in the United States. Special emphasis is placed in the history of medicine and technology and on the relationship between science and technology and science and medicine.