Between 1915 and 1935 the University of Chicago was the center for the production of innovative sociological research that unearthed the marginalized existence of unconventional Americans. Referred to as the Chicago school monographs by social historians, these works brought acclaim to the country's premiere graduate program in sociology. Working at the shadowy margins of the city, these Chicago school scholars dramatically examined the lives of delinquents, prostitutes, gangsters, and homeless men. Their work harmonized with narratives of proletarian and pulp fiction and the serialized newspaper accounts of urban vice and deviance. This book offers a survey of some of these key monographs such as The Unadjusted Girl, The Hobo, The Jack-Roller and The Taxi Dance Hall.

Roger A. Salerno is a professor of sociology at Pace University in New York and a practicing psychoanalyst.

Table of Contents


Preface     


1. Sociology Noir and the Chicago School Monographs     

2. W.I. Thomas and Robert E. Park: Chicago Noir     

3. W.I. Thomas and the Unadjusted Girl     

4. Nels Anderson and the Hobo     

5. Paul G. Cressey and the Taxi Dance Hall     

6. Clifford Shaw and the Jack-Roller     

7. Conclusion     


Bibliography     

Index