Preface
Since the American student is most frequently exposed to the field as it has been developed and interpreted in this country, the inquiry has concentrated its attention on American sociology. Although it is a product of both European and native intellectual influences, the discipline is uniquely American in organization and development. Foreign contributions are noted only as they have had demonstrable and significant impact on the American scene.
Understanding the peculiarly American character of modern sociology requires that the reader become familiar with some of the continuities throughout the early, intermediate, and modern periods of the discipline. The divisions of 1905-1918, 1918-1935, 1935-1954 are based on certain unique social events and changes in the development of sociology. Nevertheless, there are recurrences within the problems studied, methods used, and assumptions made about the nature of scientific methodology, the nature of human nature, and the nature of society. Their persistence has given the field its continuity and interrelatedness.