Chapter 1 A Historical Sketch: The Early Years - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, figures, and concepts from the notes on the early development of sociology and classical theories.

Ibn Khaldun

Fourteenth-century North African scholar who developed the first systematic approach to social organization; wrote the Muqaddimah; introduced ideas about social structure, tribal vs. urban life, and a cyclical theory of history.

Muqaddimah

Ibn Khaldun’s introductory work outlining his theory of social organization and the inner meaning of history.

asibayya

'Group feeling' or social solidarity; strongest in desert/nomadic groups and essential to Khaldun’s cycle of history.

Desert vs. Sedentary Societies

Desert nomadic communities with simpler division of labor vs urban sedentary societies with complex division of labor.

Enlightenment

18th‑century intellectual movement emphasizing reason, empirical research, and the wissenschaftliche study of society to create a better world.

Montesquieu

French Enlightenment thinker (1689–1755) whose ideas influenced political sociology and critiques of power.

Rousseau

French Enlightenment thinker (1712–1778) known for ideas about liberty, equality, and society.

Descartes

17th‑century philosopher whose rationalism and method helped shape Enlightenment thinking.

Hobbes

17th‑century philosopher known for social contract theory and views on the state of nature.

Locke

17th‑century philosopher whose empiricism and social contract ideas influenced early sociology.

Counter-Enlightenment

Conservative reaction to the Enlightenment emphasizing tradition, religion, and order.

Bonald

Louis de Bonald (1754–1840), counter‑revolutionary Catholic thinker opposing Enlightenment and revolutionary changes.

Maistre

Joseph de Maistre (1753–1821), conservative philosopher advocating traditional social order and religious authority.

Tocqueville

Alexis de Tocqueville (1805–1859); wrote Democracy in America; linked freedom, equality, and centralized government; warned about dangers to liberty from equality and centralization.

Saint-Simon

Claude Henri de Saint‑Simon (1760–1825); early French sociologist who advocated social planning and reform.

Auguste Comte

Founder of sociology; promoted positivism and the scientific study of society.

Emile Durkheim

French sociologist central to classical theory; studied social order, solidarity, and religion.

Karl Marx

Critic of capitalism; helped frame socialist thought; associated with primitive accumulation and class analysis.

Primitive accumulation

Marx’s concept of the initial process by which capitalism accumulates wealth and resources, often through colonial and plundered means.

Industrial Revolution

Transformation from agrarian to industrial economy; rise of factories, capitalism, and new social problems that spurred sociological thinking.

Colonialism

Direct political and economic control of a society by a foreign power; linked to exploitation, racism, and the development of capitalist economies.

Dreyfus Affair

1894–1906 French political scandal revealing anti‑Semitism, with wide social and political implications for sociology.

Paris Commune

1871 short‑lived socialist uprising in Paris; example of radical urban politics and social change.

Feminist Theory

Perspective focusing on gender equality and women’s rights; highlighted by figures like Martineau, Gilman, Addams, Wells‑Barnett, and others.

Harriet Martineau

19th‑century sociologist and writer who contributed to early feminist and moral analysis in sociology.

Urbanization

Mass movement of people from rural areas to cities; produced urban problems and became a central focus for early sociologists (e.g., Chicago School).

Chicago School

American school of sociology focused on urban life and applying urban as a laboratory for sociological study.

Functionalism

Theoretical perspective viewing society as a system of interrelated parts that work together to maintain stability and order.