ABSTRACT
The need for theory and for a historical perspective in attempting to arrive at valid theory is widely recognized among sociologists. This chapter analyzes the work of two leading urban sociologists who assume that preindustrial and industrial cities represent closed and mutually exclusive systems. Leaving the historians to their own devices, the chapter briefly elaborates on MacRae's statement about sociology. It then proceeds from the observation that it has become fashionable among sociologists to pay lip service to the need for theory and to the prerequisite of a historical perspective in attempting to arrive at a valid theory. Max Weber's sociological model of the city as an independent territorial unit based on the inclusive loyalty of all its inhabitants contrasts sharply with the noncity, that is, a monocultural social unit exclusively based on kinship. One contemporary author in the field of urban sociology even goes so far as to suggest that broad historical perspective narrows the basis for theoretical analysis.
