The Sociology of Urban Society

-Toward a reconstruction of urban sociology -

Abstract

According to A. Reiss, D. Martindale and S. Greer, after the World War II American urban sociology was in the critical conditions, in the other words, in the theoretical breakdown. On the other hand, America was in the age of urbanization. What can be said from this paradoxical state? We understand this as follows ; traditional cities transformed into new metropolis, and urban sociologists lagged to grasp this phenomenon. In Japan urbanization took place rapidly in 1950s with the high economic growth. Japanese urban sociologists had to look for new images (or theories) toward the new phenomenon. And there appeared community studies, regional theory, or life style theory.
By the way, urban sociology was studied in the four main areas traditionally, namely, social structure, life style in the city, social consciousness or personality, and urban problems and city plannings.
The writer reconsidered these theories from the viewpoints of urbanization. If urban sociology can be survived without merging in community studies, it must be reconstructed with the aid of a new integrative image on cities. This image is urbanization itself. If we try to reconstruct urban sociology with the help of both the results achieved in these four areas and the new image of urbanization, we must answer next question. Why urban sociology must be transformed into the sociology of urban society? Or, what is the reason to maintain the frameworks of urban sociology as the sociology of urban society? The writer answers tentatively as follows ; forming new urbanism is the major object urban sociology as the sociology of urban society must look for.