ABSTRACT
The place of the Chicago School of Sociology in the study of nationality and ethnicity is a question which is by no means merely or primarily of historical interest; nor should it be. The Chicago restatement of the task of sociology is appropriate in a consideration of the contributions of the School of thought to the discipline. Within the discipline of sociology, indeed, within all the social sciences, the insights of Robert Park and W. I. Thomas have, by and large, been either discarded or ignored. Any worthwhile investigation into nationality must try to explain why millions of human beings are willing to sacrifice their own lives and the lives of their loved ones for what they believe to be their own country. The Chicago restatement of the task of sociology is appropriate in a consideration of the contributions of the School of thought to the discipline.
