a short history of sociology

• auguste comete was the first sociologist and he argued that sociology could replace religion and emphasized positivism

• harriet martineau wrote about social justice and democracy

• emilé durkheim originated theories about structure, solidarity, and collective conscience

• karl marx believed society was composed of competing interests

• max weber was the first sociologist of the modernity and he originated the idea of protestant work ethic and the influence of cultural beliefs

• marianne weber focused on marriage as a form of gendered oppression

• sociology has explored human welfare since the beginning

• jane addams cofounded the hull house and founded social work

• charlotte perkins gilman, anna julia cooper, and ida b. wells-barnett published works on conflict theory

• w.e.b. du bois worked to convince a racist america that black american’s struggle was due to discrimination and founded the NAACP

• there is an ongoing debate on whether sociologists should write for other sociologists or everyday people

• sociological writings aim to develop new knowledge through the spread of data via textbooks, journals, and associations

• quantitative data, developed by robert park, built a social science that mirrored the natural sciences

• qualitative data aids in observational research

• george herbert mead, charles horton cooley, herbert blumer, erving goffman, and harold garfinkel expanded sociology to include anti-positivist approaches

• structural functionalism became prominent in the 50s

• in the 50s debates began about whether research should be pure or practical

• in the 60s conflict theory rose to relevance and sociology became widely recognized, especially in activism

• after the 60s sociology confronted it’s own prejudices and included more diversity, which led to the rise of diversity theories like standpoint theory and intersectionality

• diversity makes sociology more effective because we can understand the full context in which problems occur

positivism: a philosophical theory stating that scientific tools give us the capacity to accurately measure a true, objective reality

social work: a skilled profession aimed at helping people in need

public sociology: the work of using sociological theory to make societies better

microsociology: intricate studies of everyday interaction

macrosociology: elaborate studies of large-scale social trends

structural functionalism: societies are systems of necessary, synchronized parts that work together to create social stability

conflict theory: societies are characterized by competing interests and defined by fights over control of valuable resources like wealth, power, and prestige

symbolic interactionism: social interaction depends on the social construction of reality and we respond to symbolic meanings produced by social interaction

sociological imagination: the capacity to consider how people’s lives—including our own—are shaped by the social facts that surround us

auguste comete (1798-1857): french intellectual often given credit for being the first sociologist; argued science could replace religion as the arbiter of good politic; advocated for society based on positivism; named sociology in 1838

harriet martineau (1802-1876): british writer inspired by comete who wrote about economic justice, slavery abolition, and gender equality; wrote how to observe morals and manners in 1838 and society in america in 1837

emilé durkheim (1858-1917): french sociologist who developed structural functionalism theory, organic solidarity, mechanical solidarity, collective conscience, and anomie

karl marx (1818-1917): german intellectual who advocated for the working class by critiquing capitalism; founded conflict theory and crisis of capitalism

max weber (1864-1920): modernity era german sociologist who became the first sociologist of religion; developed the concept of protestant work ethic and said cultural ideas could have powerful affects

marianne weber (1870-1954): german sociologist who studied the family and argued married was a source of gendered oppression

jane addams (1860-1935): devoted her life to helping the disadvantaged and promoting world peace; founder of social work; published the first volume of the american journal of sociology; cofounded the hull house in 1889; worked to improve the court system, the living situations of the poor, workers, women, and children; cofounded the aclu, wilpf, and nclc; the first american woman to win the nobel peace prize

charlotte perkins gilman (1860-1935): published the yellow wallpaper and criticized patriarchal marriage

anna julia cooper (1858-1964): wrote the first book on intersectionality: a voice from the south; by a black woman of the south

ida b. wells-barnett (1862-1931): wrote the first evidence based book on lynching, southern horrors, for which she won a pulitzer price for in 2020

w.e.b. du bois (1868-1963): used the science of statistics in sociological research; wrote the philadelphia negro in 1899; worked to aid black americans his whole life

albion small (1854-1926): wrote the first sociology textbook, introduction to a science of society, and launched the american journal of sociology

robert park (1864-1944): central pioneer in developing observational research techniques

george herbert mead (1863-1931): introduced the idea that humans have the capacity to be the subject and object of thought

charles horton cooley (1864-1929): introduced the concept of the looking glass self

herbert blumer (1900-1987): developed symbolic interactionism

erving hoffman (1922-1982): developed dramaturgy

harold garfinkel (1917-2011): dived deep into ethnomethodoligy

kimberle crenshaw (1959-): introduced the idea of intersectionality

dorothy smith (1926-2022): originated standpoint theory in 1989