ABSTRACT
Fischer reconstructs the theory of urbanism by downplaying the negative effects of Durkheimian anomiewith reference to the crime, mental health, and social problems that are found in the metropolis. He gives another perspective on differentiationas a cultural process linked with specialization in the division of labor. Fischer sees the city and its subcultures as a vital force for the amplifying of cultural experience and human creativity. Subcultures mark the emancipation of the individual from traditional controls and conventions, while providing a new set of subgroup identities and communities. In this way, they counterbalance some of the alienation and normlessness, the spiritual anxieties and social disorders found in our cities and marketplaces, which result from the breakdown of traditional customs and primary relationships.
