This essay argues for critical engagement with the Chicago School, suggesting its value in urban studies despite its flaws.
This essay argues for ongoing critical engagement with the Chicago School of urban sociology despite its problematic foundations. Responding to Justus Uitermark, I contend that the Chicago School remains pedagogically, theoretically, and methodologically valuable when taught reflexively and in dialogue with later critiques, including the LA School. I frame the Chicago School as a flawed but provocative part of the canon for urban studies.
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Pamela J. Prickett (2026) studied this question.
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