The Re-examine Clifford Shaw's Life History Studies:

In Light of the History of American Immigration

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to re-examine Clifford Shaw's life history studies in light of the history of American immigration. The significance of the present study lies in providing a view of the sociological horizon opened up by life history studies, and in redefining the historical and social meaning of Shaw's life history studies.

After summarizing the preceding studies on Shaw's monographs, the novel viewpoint of this study is presented in contradistinction to them. In the subsequent overview of the American immigrant's history, how prejudice against immigrant minorities was officially shared in American society is discussed; this clarifies the social background behind the studies of Shaw. Given the view regarding minority immigrants as a cause of criminals that pervaded society when Shaw's three monographs—The Jack-Roller (1930[1966]), The Natural History of a Delinquent Career (1931), Brothers in Crime (1938)—were published, the situation of immigrant children in the slums is sketched out based on these monographs. This analysis shows clearly that Shaw's monographs illustrated the great difference between prejudice and reality. Finally, the historical and social significance of Shaw's studies is summarized, and it becomes clear that Shaw's life history studies aimed at realizing the coexistence of minority immigrants and majority citizens.