The Reportage of Urban Culture

Fascination with urban life has encouraged a growing interest in the 'Chicago School' of sociology by students of sociological history. It is generally accepted that the field research practised by the Chicago sociologists during the 1920s - the 'Golden Age of Chicago sociology' - used methods borrowed from anthropology. However, Rolf Lindner also argues convincingly that the orientation of urban research advocated by Robert Park, the key figure in the Chicago School and himself a former reporter, is ultimately indebted to the tradition of urban reportage. The Reportage of Urban Culture goes beyond a thorough reconstruction of the relationship between journalism and sociology. It shows how the figure of the city reporter at the turn of the century represents a different way of looking at life, and reflects a transformation in American culture, from rejecting variety to embracing it.