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In sociology we have recently witnessed a move towards a stronger emphasis on temporality and narrative analysis. The paper discusses the so-called narrative positivism proposed by the American sociologist Andrew Abbott as one of the first, most original and wide-ranging attempt to construct a narrative sociology. In particular, through a focus on both his interpretation of the Chicago legacy and his research on temporality, the paper addresses Abbot's criticism of mainstream sociological methodology and his developing social theory of spatial and temporal contexts. In the final section, four motives are given to closely consider Abbott's theoretical pursuits although still in progress and far from systematic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Authors such as M. Bulmer indicate that methodological reflection was not one of the characteristic traits of the Chicago School. However, during the 1920's articles started appearing in the School's review (The American Journal of Sociology), which underlined the importance of methodological debate for the development of Sociology. Many of the leading intellectuals, among which Blumer, debated whether social science methods should be derived from natural sciences or be developed endogenously, if they should be formulated prior or subsequently to empirical research. Considering the final outcome of the debate, in this essay the Authors propose to examine the methodological formulations that, explicitly or implicitly, were built in researches on Urban Micro-Sociology conducted by Ernest Burgess, one of the most prominent empirical researchers of the School. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]