THE NEGRO IN NEW ORLEANS: A FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF DEMOGRAPHIC DATA.

Population study and sociology have shown a tendency toward convergence. From separate origins the fields have moved towards an increasing interdependence. All too seldom, however, has the relevance of sociological theory for demographic analysis been verified. Probably one of the more crucial questions in this connection is the relation between population characteristics and processes on the one hand and social values on the other. It is the task of this paper to indicate such a relationship and to reach this goal through an explanation of some observed demographic differentials by means of a particular sociological theory. This paper attempts to show by empirical and theoretical demonstration that the hypothesis is tenable for at least one city. Racial differentials constitute an important focus of this paper, but explaining an entire pattern of race relations represents a broader and more complex approach than that employed here. The data for the study are taken from an extensive demographic investigation of the Negroes of New Orleans.