In both Europe and the United States, early sociologists pre- sented a mixed view of urban living. Rapid urbanization troubled Tönnies, and Wirth saw personal ties and traditional morality lost in the anonymous rush of the city. Durkheim and Park empha- sized urbanism’s positive face, pointing to more personal free- dom and greater personal choice. One problem with all these views is that they paint urbanism in broad strokes that overlook the effects of class, race, and gen- der. There are many kinds of urbanites—rich and poor, black and white, Anglo and Latino, women and men—all leading distinctive lives (Gans, 1968). As the Thinking About Diversity box on page 470 explains, the share of minorities in the largest U.S. cities increased sharply since 1990. We see social diversity most clearly in cities where various categories of people are large enough to form distinct, visible communities (Macionis & Parrillo, 2013). Check Your Learning Which of the urban sociologists— Tönnies, Durkheim, Park, and Wirth—were more positive about ur- ban life? Which were more negative? In each case, explain why.
In both Europe and the United States, early sociologists pre- sented a mixed view of urban living. Rapid urbanization troubled Tönnies, and Wirth saw personal ties and traditional morality lost in the anonymous rush of the city. Durkheim and Park empha- sized urbanism’s positive face, pointing to more personal free- dom and greater personal choice. One problem with all these views is that they paint urbanism in broad strokes that overlook the effects of class, race, and gen- der. There are many kinds of urbanites—rich and poor, black and white, Anglo and Latino, women and men—all leading distinctive lives (Gans, 1968). As the Thinking About Diversity box on page 470 explains, the share of minorities in the largest U.S. cities increased sharply since 1990. We see social diversity most clearly in cities where various categories of people are large enough to form distinct, visible communities (Macionis & Parrillo, 2013). Check Your Learning Which of the urban sociologists— Tönnies, Durkheim, Park, and Wirth—were more positive about ur- ban life? Which were more negative? In each case, explain why.
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