Urban Studies in Pre-wartime

Abstract

Urban sociology is a science which surveys everyday life in urban areas and neighboring districts.One may say that in Japan there has been no tradition of sociological studies on urban life or society. Somewhat we cannot but agree to this idea, yet there has been not a little remarkable works in this field and some of which was published in pre-wartime. Although from the sociological point of view there were scarcely proper studies on urban phenomena in pre-wartime, we must remember that Fukutaro Okui's “Essays on Contemporary Metropolitan Cities” was published in 1940 and this work was first intensive sociological study of urban society and of urban way of life.Generally speaking Okui's early works may be called studies on social problems and social thought. The sources and spirit of his sociological studies on urban life may be resumed as follows : (1) John Ruskin's spirit, (2) Forms and spirit of European medieval cities, (3) theory and method of urban studies in America, (4) sociological and ecological researches into Tokyo and Kamakura, (5) urban life sketched out in Japanese novels and essays, and (6) his own everydays experience.Now urban studies in pre-wartime may be classified into next five streams : (1) essays on urban or rural-urban problems, (2) on social problems and social work, (3) on municipal government, (4) on urban population, and (5) on town planning.Tracing these various streams, much of these are mainly characterized by demographic or statistical approach and also by orientation toward (rural-) urban or social problems.Through these theoretical or empirical surveys of urban phenomena, not only various phases of everyday life but also structure of urban social world were clearly clarified.Urban studies in pre-wartime are primitive in its method and can be regarded as proto-type of sociological study of urban society, but today we must pay attention to these works because of its some viewpoint, perspectives, and problem-solving approaches.