W. I. Thomas and the sociology of sex differences.

摘要

This study examines the life and work of the American sociologist William I. Thomas (1863-1947), specifically in relation to his theories of gender. Accordingly, this is a partial biography, with very little discussion of Thomas' later (post-1923) career. Key publications, including Sex and Society (1907) and The Unadjusted Girl (1923), are analyzed in terms of his shifting ideas on the sociology of sex differences and the status of women in particular. Thomas' slow rejection of biological determinism and evolutionary theory, and his embracing of an increasingly feminist position, are placed within the context of the social and intellectual movements of progressive era Chicago and the nascent discipline of sociology in the United States of America. Special attention is given to the influence of Chicago's white, middle and upper class women reformers on Thomas' life and work. An examination of the sex scandal of 1918 is also included, as this event resulted in Thomas losing his privileged status within large segments of the academic community and the general public.