Émile Durkheim

Emile Durkheim, Le Socialisme maitrier

Grave of Émile Durkheim in Montparnasse Cemetery

The Rules of the Sociological Method

Emile Durkheim, Division du travail social maitrier

Émile Durkheim (1858–1917) was a French sociologist who is widely considered one of the founding figures of modern sociology and anthropology. His work laid the foundation for many of the theories and methods used in sociology today. Durkheim's major contributions include his theories on social facts, social integration, collective consciousness, and the role of religion in society. He is best known for his studies on social cohesion, the division of labor in society, suicide, and the elementary forms of religious life.

Early Life and Education

Émile Durkheim was born on April 15, 1858, in Épinal, in the Lorraine region of France. He came from a long line of devout French Jews; his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had all been rabbis. He intended to follow in their footsteps but early in his schooling, he decided against it, moving instead towards the study of social science. Durkheim attended the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) in Paris, where he was influenced by the work of philosophers and historians such as Kant and Montesquieu.

Career

After completing his education, Durkheim taught philosophy at several high schools before moving into the academic world. In 1887, he was appointed to teach social sciences at the University of Bordeaux, marking the first official sociology position in France. Durkheim sought to establish sociology as a legitimate and independent academic discipline. He founded the first European department of sociology at the University of Bordeaux and later became a professor at the Sorbonne in Paris.

Durkheim's work was revolutionary in that he insisted on studying social phenomena empirically rather than through abstract philosophical debate. He believed that society exerted a powerful force on individuals and that studying these "social facts" could reveal the structures underlying social life.

Major Works and Theories

Durkheim's first major work, The Division of Labor in Society (1893), argued that the division of labor in a society was not only an economic phenomenon but also a social phenomenon that contributed to societal cohesion. He introduced the concept of anomie, a state of normlessness that occurs when social regulations break down and individuals lose their sense of purpose.

In Rules of Sociological Method (1895), Durkheim outlined the principles of sociological research, emphasizing the importance of studying social facts as things that are external to, and coercive over, individuals.

Perhaps Durkheim's most famous work, Suicide (1897), was a groundbreaking study that used statistical methods to argue that suicide rates are influenced by social factors, such as the level of integration and regulation within a society.

The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912) is another of Durkheim's major works, in which he explores the role of religion in social life. He theorized that religious beliefs and practices serve to unite members of a community by creating a common consciousness.

Legacy

Durkheim's work has had a profound impact on the field of sociology. His theories on the social causes of behavior, the importance of social norms, and the role of social institutions continue to influence sociological research and theory. Durkheim's methodological emphasis on empirical research has also left a lasting mark on the social sciences.

Durkheim's ideas about social cohesion and the integral role of social institutions in maintaining societal order have been particularly influential, laying the groundwork for functionalist perspectives in sociology.

Death

Émile Durkheim died on November 15, 1917, in Paris, France. Despite his death, his ideas and theories remain influential in the fields of sociology, anthropology, and beyond.