Lessons and current Challenges for Urban Sociologists. A Conversation with Robert J. Sampson

Niccolò Morelli; Robert J. Sampson

doi:10.6092/issn.1971-8853/10517

Authors

Niccolò Morelli EngagemindsHub, Catholic University of Milan (Italy); Department of Management, Polytechnic University of Milan (Italy) http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8916-8640
Niccolò Morelli got a Ph.D. in Sociology and Social Research at the Department of Sociology and Business Law of the University of Bologna (Italy), with a thesis on urban conviviality. He is currently scientific collaborator at EngagemindsHub, in the Department of Psychology of the Catholic University of Milan (Italy), and at the Department of Management of the Polytechnic University of Milan.
Robert J. Sampson Harvard University (USA) http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4259-8146
Robert J. Sampson is the Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University (USA), founding director of the Boston Area Research Initiative, and Affiliated Research Professor at the American Bar Foundation. Previously, he was a faculty member in the Department of Sociology at the University of Chicago (USA) and before that the University of Illinois (USA).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.1971-8853/10517

Keywords:

Sampson, neighborhood effects, urban sociology, social structure of the city

Abstract

In this interview, Robert J. Sampson discusses main lessons and current challenges for urban sociologists, starting from his personal experience and perspective. The interview recaps his important works on factors and events that can determine criminal behavior, the important Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, that he led with his innovative theories and empirical results on violence, race and ethnic segregation, inequality, order and disorder in urban environments, and the shifting structure of community network. The interview also reflects on the process and encounters that led him to the formulation of a theory of race, crime and urban inequality with William J. Wilson (1995). Our discussion spanned over areas of research interests of Professor Sampson, including crime, disorder, life course, civic engagement, inequality, "ecometrics," and the social structure of the city, with particular attention to neighborhood effects. Finally, the interview deals with current challenges for urban sociologists, focusing on two main problems: poor quality of data and limit of funding.

References

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Lessons and current Challenges for Urban Sociologists. A Conversation with Robert J. Sampson

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