Durkheim, Émile
Basic Biographical Information
Born into a rabbinical family in 1858 in Épinal, France, Émile Durkheim is considered one of the founders of sociology. Studying at the École Normale Supérieure under Auguste Comte, among others, he developed an early interest in a scientific approach for understanding society modeled after the natural sciences. After graduating in philosophy in 1882 and spending a year studying in Germany, he taught pedagogy and social science at the teacher’s training center in Bordeaux. From here, Durkheim proceeded to help develop the theoretical and methodological foundations of sociology through a series of major publications (The Division of Labor in Society, 1893; Rules of the Sociological Method, 1895; and Suicide, 1897). He also established the journal L’Année Sociologique, and founded the first Department of Sociology in France, at the University of Bordeaux.
By 1902, Durkheim had finally obtained a prominent academic position as Chair of Education – later...
References/Further Readings
- Alexander, J. C. (1988). Durkheimian sociology. Cultural studies. England, New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
- Durkheim, É. (1938). The rules of sociological method (8th ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
- Durkheim, É. (1965). The division of labor in society (G. Simpson, Trans.). New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
- Durkheim, É. (2002). Suicide. A study in sociology. London: Routledge.Google Scholar