Weber's Historical Urban Sociology: City as a Base of Modern Society

Since the beginning of modernity, discussions concerning the developinent and characteristics of occidental city in the West have played a central role in defining modern society and exploring its origins. In that, both the synchronous emergence of modern society with urbanization and the manifestation of modernity-triggering capitalism as an urban phenomenon have been instrumental. In that regard, early sociologists have focused their attention on urban development and characteristics of occidental city. Yet, none has done better than Weber, who can justly be considered as the founding father of urban sociology, in handling the issue systematically. Weber proposed historical-sociological theories of urban development and, within the framework of his theories, put the city in the center of modern society. He argues that modernity never took place in the Orient because cities in the real sense never developed there. In this respect, it could be argued that Weber's analysis of cities centers around the exaltation of modern Occidental society, which is the fundamental purpose of his sociology. This paper addresses Weber's analysis of the birth and rise of cities, and how they lie at the foundation of modernity within the framework of his theory of sociology.