Middletown_studies Middletown studies From Sterwiki The 'Middletown studies' refer to a classic sociological case study of a small town in Indiana, as contained in two books by Robert Staughton Lynd and Helen Merrell Lynd: Middletown: A Study in Modern American Culture, published in 1929. Middletown in Transition : A Study in Cultural Conflicts, published in 1937. In these studies, the Lynds and a group of researchers conduct an in-depth field study of an American small town in order to discover key cultural norms. The first study was conducted during the 1920s, while the second was written during the Great Depression. Table of contents showTocToggle('show','hide') 1 Middletown 2 Overview 3 Working 4 Home and Family 5 Youth 6 Leisure Time 7 Religious Activities 8 Government and Community 9 Implications 10 Middletown in Transition 11 Criticism Middletown Middletown: A Study in Modern American Culture was primarily a look at changes in a small Midwest city between 1890 and 1925, the year the study was conducted. Although the book does not name the city (population: 38,000) in question, it was later revealed to be Muncie, Indiana. The Lynds and their assistants used field research (social anthropology), existing documents, statistics, interviews, and surveys to accomplish this task. The stated goal of the study was a description of this city as 'interwoven trends of behavior.' The book is written in an entirely descriptive tone, treating the citizens of Middletown in much the same way an anthropologist might describe a primitive tribe. Overview The study was divided under the assumption that all human actions are but a variation (esp. technological) on the following activities, which became the dividing line between parts: Getting a living Making a home Training the young Using leisure Engaging in religious practices Engaging in community activities Overall, Middletown was described (like many other American cities of the period) as a farming community that, due to technological changes, became a factory town. The study aimed to examine the consequences of this change. Working The study found that at least 70 percent of the population belonged to the working class. However, labor unions had been driven out of town because the city's elite saw it as a communist organization. Because of this, unemployment was seen among residents as an individual, not a social, problem. The city government was run by what the Lynds call the 'business class,' an extremely conservative group of individuals in high-income professions. For example, this group threw its support behind Calvin Coolidge's administration. Home and Family 86 percent of the residents lived in at least a nuclear family arrangement. Because of new innovations such as mortgages, even working class families were able to own their own homes. Home ownership is considered the mark of a 'respectable' family. Compared to the 1800s, family sizes were smaller, divorce rates were up. However, women still, by and large, worked as housewives. Having children is considered a 'moral obligation' of all couples. However, at the age of six, the socialization of these children are taken over by secondary institutions such as schools. Also, taboos against things such as dating have been reduced. Families tend not to spend as much time together as before. Also, new technology such as supermarkets, refrigeration, and washing machines have contributed to a downswing in traditional skills such as cooking and food preservation. Youth Almost a third of all children at the time of the study planned to attend college. High school has become the hub of adolescent life, both social and otherwise. There has been a rise in vocational studies, strongly supported by the community. This is a major demographic shift from the 1800s, when few youth received any formal education. While the community claims to value education, they tend to disdain academic learning. Teachers are tolerated but not welcomed into the civic life and governance of the city. Leisure Time Although new technology has created more leisure time for all people, most of this new time is passed in 'passive' (or nonconstructive) recreation. The introduction of the radio and automobile is considered the largest changes. Listening to radio shows and taking drives are now the most popular leisure activities. Many working class families formerly never strayed more than a few miles from town; with the automobile, they are able to take vacations across the United States. With the rise of these activities, interest in such institutions as book discussion groups (and reading in general), public lectures, and the fine arts is in sharp decline. The introduction of film has created another 'passive leisure activity,' although the most popular films concentrate on adventure and romance, while more serious topics are les popular. About two-thirds of Middletown families now own cars. Owning a car, and the prestige it brings, is considered so important that some working-class families are willing to bypass necessities such as food and clothing to keep up with payments. A person's car indicates their social status, and the most 'popular' teens own cars, much to the chagrin of local community leaders (one local preacher referred to the automobile as a 'house of prostitution on wheels'). Overall, due to this new technology, community and family ties are breaking down. Friendship between neighbors and church attendance is down. However, more structured community organizations, such as the Rotary Club, are growing. Religious Activities Middletown contained 42 churches, representing 28 different denominations. The community as a whole has a strong Christian Protestant flavor. A person's denomination is indiciate of one's social status: the Methodist church is considered the most prestigious in these terms. However, strong religious beliefs (i.e., ideas about heaven and hell) are dying out. While the vast majority of citizens profess a belief in a god, they are increasingly cynical about organized religion. Also, many of the clergy tend to be politically progressive, and as such, are not welcomed into the city's governance. The more fundamentalist Christian churches tend to be more political and down-to-earth in its approach to life, and in sermons. This is in contrast to the mainstream Protestant denominations, which tend to be more aloof and other-worldly. Overall, the city is becoming more secular. Youth are less inclined to attend church, although the YMCA and YWCA are growing in popularity. Government and Community The city's 'business class' - and therefore most powerful class - is entirely Republican. Voting turnout, however, is down (46 percent in 1924), even considering the recent passage of women's suffrage. The main reason for this appears to be increased cynicism towards politics, and politicians in general (politicians are considered by many to be no better than crooks). Moreover, the more skilled legal minds in town tend to work in the private sector, not the public sector. Despite the good economic environment, there is always a small group of homeless. These people are considered the responsibility of churches and organizations such as the Salvation Army - charity is generally frowned upon. Newspapers serve as the main medium of communication in town, both the morning and evening editions. Due to recent innovations as the Associated Press, the papers are able to carry more news. Also, journalism tends to be more 'objective,' in contrast with the highly partisan papers of a few decades earlier. Overall the city is highly, but invisibly, segregated. Although the Ku Klux Klan was recently kicked out of town, whites and blacks still live seperately. However, the largest divide consists of social class lines. Businessmen, in particular, are required to be highly conformist in their political and social views. Implications The Middletown study is often quoted as an example of the adage, 'nothing really changes.' Despite being conducted in 1925, the description of American culture and attitudes has remained largely unchanged. For example, even today, many news agencies, when trying to figure out what the 'average American' believes, visit Muncie, Indiana. Pollsters do as well - the city has, for the most part, successfully predicted the election of U.S. presidents. While a growing number of sociologists and social critics complain of less community involvement, their detractors point directly to the Middletown study. The argument is simple: in 1925, observers were worried that new inventions such as the radio were destroying community ties, and that morality was on the decline. However, in retrospect, supporters of the studies argue that every generation simply 'reinvents' new problems without realizing that their ancestors had the same unfounded worries. The Lynds were careful not to include any ideological biases to creep into the first study, presenting it as a neutral set of observations. However, more biased individuals have drawn from the study. To just a few examples: Marxists point to the 'business class' and its ideology as the reason why workers and labor unions have never gained power. Conservatives (including sociologists who followed the structural functionalism school) saw the study as a confirmation that a lack of change is good for society. Critics of American culture, such as H.L. Mencken and Sinclair Lewis, author of Babbitt, cited the Middletown studies as examples of the banality and shallowness of American life. Middletown in Transition In 1935, the Lynds returned to Middletown to research the second book. They saw the Great Depression as an opportunity to see how the social structure of the town changed. While the researchers found that there were some social changes, residents tended to go back to the way they were once economic hardship had ended. For example, the 'business class,' traditionally Republican, grudgingly supported the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt and accepted the money the New Deal brought into town. However, once they felt the programs weren't needed anymore, they withdrew their support. Unlike the first study, Middletown in Transition only used one-tenth of the researchers the first one did, and as a result, it is not considered as in-depth as the first one. Also, the second study is not as neutral as the first. The authors openly attack the 'business class' and cite theorists such as Thorstein Veblen. They criticize the consumerism displayed by the citizens. They end on a strongly negative note, fearing that a dictator such as Huey Long or Adolf Hitler could conceivably draw support from such a population. Criticism The Lynds did not study the African-American population of Middletown. They justified this because this group only conposed 5 percent of the total population. However, modern critics argue that this was a racial oversight conditioned by the era in which the study took place. A similar argument applies to the fact that they didn't study Jews who lived in the city. Although the Lynds attempted to avoid ideology, theory, or political statements, the focus of their initial study can be construed as an endorsement (however faint) of Progressive-era politics. Also, the study is sometimes accused of being elitist and old-fashioned, as it seems to bemoan the rise of 'popular culture' such as films and the fall of farm culture. The second study, in contrast to the first, is extremely political in tone and openly critical of American culture in general. Also, the Lynds made predictions (i.e., on the possibility of a future American dictatorship) that never came to pass. Above all, the Lynds were criticized for using a small town to describe all of America. By doing this, for instance, they ignored the influence of larger cities, which grew in population throughout their era. Quelle "Middletown_studies" : Wikipedia.org Main page for "Middletown_studies"