The Moral Order of a Suburb

by M.P. Baumgartner

Surrounding all major cities in the United States are numerous smaller communities collectively known as suburbia. The most popular place of residence in America, the suburbs are peaceful and tranquil environments, where civility prevails and disturbances of the peace are uncommon. Drawing on research, observation, and hundreds of in-depth interviews conducted during a twelve-month study of an affluent New York City suburb, M.P. Baumgartner reveals that the apparent serenity of the suburb is caused by the avoidance of open conflict. She contends that although nonviolence, nonconfrontation, and tolerance produce a superficial social harmony, these behaviors arise from disintegrative tendencies in modern culture--transience, fragmentation, weak family and communal ties, isolation, and indifference--conditions customarily viewed as sources of disorder, antagonism, and violence. A kind of moral minimalism pervades the suburbs, a disorganized social order that, with the suburbs'
rapid growth in America, promises to be the moral order of the future. A valuable contribution to the literature on social control, this study of conflict management should attract general readers and scholars alike.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Urbanism

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1988

Reviews

[Jay Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

really interesting one I picked up from a sociology department throwaway bin

early on in suburban America's development what do we find? Well, basically what we have now supplanted onto all of America. A social order built upon personal isolation and not just the mitigation of, but the AVOIDANCE of conflict (and as such, connection) as a first and foremost goal, with appearance of orderliness as premier among priorities

[Ryan John · Rating 3 out of 5]

They should have called this book "conflict resolution of a suburb." I was expecting more information about what is and is not considered socially acceptable in the suburbs. That was only dealt with from the locus of conflict. Conflict is literally the only thing the author discusses. If you're like me and the title didn't make you say "man that sounds awful," you'll probably find it interesting, but the title is misleading in my opinion.

[Juliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating look at moral order, class, race, etc. in suburbia...

[Zack]

This book was fascinating.