Michael B. Katz, the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, died on August 23, 2014. Michael was co-director of the Urban Studies program from 1983 until 1996. He, more than any individual, is responsible for the current contours of the undergraduate program. Early in his tenure as co-director, he restructured the curriculum, balancing multi-disciplinary coursework with a core of shared experiences. The senior seminar, the major’s capstone, was critical to Michael’s vision for the major, a role it continues to play in challenging our students to integrate theory and practice in their final research project. Michael also inaugurated the annual Urban Studies lecture to bring a major urban scholar to campus. Just as important to Michael as the lecture was the lunchtime discussion with our seniors, at which they questioned the lecturers’ methods and conclusions. As in his own interaction with students, Michael saw these sessions as an opportunity to illuminate the puzzles and discoveries of intellectual life as the seniors completed their papers.
Michael’s scholarship transformed our understanding of three important aspects of American history. His early work on the history of school reform in the 19th century challenged the dominant narrative of progressive improvement and asked if the emergence of large, bureaucratic school systems was inevitable. He then turned to the study of class and family structure of North American cities in several books that sharpened our understanding of how ethnicity, social inequality, and public institutions shaped cities. Finally, his research on the history of social welfare discovered the long, generally underappreciated role of government in providing aid to low-income populations. In his last major book, Why Don’t American Cities Burn?, he synthesized much of his earlier work to challenge progressives to develop a counter-narrative of American cities that finds a place for both skepticism and hope.
In the book’s epilogue, “The Existential Problem of Urban Studies,” Michael reflected on URBS104, the course he created to provide our students with an integrated understanding of urban history since World War II. Originally entitled “Urban Crisis,” Michael changed its name to “The Transformation of American Cities” to balance a focus on the problems cities face with an exploration of the efforts of those in and out of government to pursue solutions. Michael suggested that left historians—himself included—in questioning the ability of government to address urban problems may have opened the door for a conservative narrative of government failure. While challenging part of his legacy, he warned us never to believe that “there is no alternative” and to rely on the creativity and commitment of residents to forge a better vision of the future.
Mark Stern and Elaine Simon, Urban Studies Co-Directors
August 25, 2014