Emile Durkheim
From Wikinfo
Emile Durkheim (April 15, 1858 - November 15, 1917) was a founder of the science of sociology, along with Max Weber. He was also the founder of the first journal devoted to social science, the Ann�e Sociologique.
Durkheim was born in Epinal, France. He was concerned primarily with what he perceived to be the breakdown of social norms and the increasingly impersonality of social life. Incidentally, in developing explanations of these phenomena, Durkheim is credited with attempting the first scientific approach to social phenomena, coining the sociological term social fact to describe distinct units of social information.
In his 1893 work The Division of Labor in Society, he states that the primary element defining social organization is the division of labor, wherein traditional societies (termed "mechanical") are characterized by very general division of labor and modern societies (termed "organic") are characterized by highly specific division of labor. In traditional societies, argues Durkheim, the collective consciousness entirely subsumes individual consciousness--norms are strong and behavior is well-regulated. The result of increasing division of labor, according to Durkheim, is that individual consciousness emerges distinct from collective consciousness--often finding itself in conflict to collective consciousness. The rapid change in society due to increasing division of labor thus produces a state of confusion with regard to norms, leading eventually to the break down of norms regulating social behavior; Durkheim labels this state anomie. From a state of anomie comes all forms of deviant behaviour, most notably suicide.
Durkheim developed the concept of anomie later in Suicide, published in 1897. In it, he explores the differing suicide rates among Protestants and Catholics, explaining that stronger social control among Catholics results in lower suicide rates.
Durkheim considered religion an essential part of society, itself essential for life. He explores religion further in his 1912 book, Elementary Forms of the Religious Life.
See also: anomie, suicide, sociology, social fact, Max Weber, Karl Marx, Gabriel Tarde.
External links
- The Durkheim Pages
- Useful information about Durkheim[[fr:�mile Durkheim]]
References
- Adapted from the Wikipedia article, "Emile_Durkheim" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emile_Durkheim, used under the GNU Free Documentation License
