The Reportage of Urban Culture: Robert Park and the Chicago School

by Rolf Lindner, Martin Chalmers

In this original and convincing study, Rolf Lindner argues that the method of urban research constituting the core of the famous Chicago School of sociology is ultimately indebted to the tradition of urban reportage. However, the argument goes beyond a reconstruction of the relationship between journalism and sociology. Professor Lindner shows how the figure of the city reporter at the turn of the century represents a new way of looking at life, and reflects a transformation in American culture, from rejecting variety to embracing it.

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 11, 1996