Research paradigm and contemporary value of chicago school urban social problems
芝加哥学派城市社会问题的研究范式与当代价值

摘要

随着工业革命的浪潮，城市化进程迅速推进，工业城市的崛起带来了诸多复杂的社会问题。芝加哥学派凭借其独特的传播学和犯罪社会学理论成为研究城市社会问题的重要力量。在传播学方面，芝加哥学派强调以社会互动为理解城市社会的基础，倡导以公众参与为核心的民主传播，鼓励直接观察和研究城市生活，展现出独特的实证研究方法。在犯罪学方面，芝加哥学派聚焦城市生态对犯罪控制的影响，提出的同心圆模型、社会解组与社会重构理论为理解犯罪现象提供了有力的理论框架。在当前城市化加速、社会问题日益纷杂的背景下，芝加哥学派的研究范式仍具有重要的实践指导意义与理论价值。

Abstract

The wave of the Industrial Revolution propelled rapid urbanization, and the rise of industrial cities engendered numerous complex social issues. The Chicago School emerged as a pivotal force in studying urban social problems through its distinctive theories in communication studies and criminological sociology. By empirically analyzing pathological phenomena such as social anomie and deviance, it sought to foster positive societal transformation. From the perspective of communication studies, the Chicago School emphasized social interaction as the foundation for understanding urban society, positing that communication plays a critical role in human socialization and urban problem-solving. It advocated democratic communication centered on public participation and promoted direct observation and investigation of urban life, demonstrating a unique empirical methodology. In criminology, the School focused on the impact of urban ecology on crime control, offering theoretical frameworks such as the concentric zone model and theories of social disorganization and reorganization to interpret criminal phenomena. Against the backdrop of accelerating urbanization and increasingly intricate social challenges, the Chicago School’s theoretical perspectives and research methods retain significant practical and theoretical relevance for addressing contemporary urban issues.