Download Origins of Sociology

Origins of Sociology
FAMOUS SOCIOLOGISTS
AND
MAJOR SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVES
What, where, when and why Sociology?
 Took root in 1800s
 Originated primarily in France, Germany and
England
 These countries had most strongly felt the effects of
the Industrial Revolution which took place over time
between 1760 and 1840
Changes in the Industrial Revolution
 Shift from farms to large-scale production
 Factory replace the home as means of production
 Shift from country to large city living
 Rise in poverty as number of people seeking jobs
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outnumbered jobs
Housing Shortages
Crime
Pollution
Difficulties adapting to city life
Then What Happened?
 Over time it became more difficult to ignore the
effect of society on the individual
 Individual rights became the focus of political
movements
 Demands for freedom and rights gave rise to the
French (1789-99) and American (1765-1783)
Revolutions
So, Sociology is Born
 Political, social and economic changes
 Scholars attempt to study social principles using
scientific methods to explain basic principles that
govern society
Auguste Comte
 Founder of Sociology as a distinct subject
 Coined the term “sociology” as the study of society
 Basic areas of study – social order and social change
 Statics – processes that hold society together
 Social dynamics – Society changes through
processes
 Like the physical world – society operates under a
set of laws
Herbert Spencer
 Strongly influenced by the work of the evolutionist
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Charles Darwin
Used Darwin's’ theory of evolution of biological
organisms to society
Society has independent parts that work together to
maintain the health of society
Social Darwinism – social change and unrest are natural
processes and societies that are the fittest will survive
Felt because of this, these natural processes should be
allowed to occur without intervention
Coined the phrase “survival of the fittest”
Karl Marx – Conflict Theory
 Structure of a society is influenced by how its economy is
organized
 Society is divided into two parts
Bourgeoisie – capitalists who own the means of production
 Proletariat – workers, own nothing, but provide the labor needed to
produce goods
SO THEN
 This imbalance would lead to class conflict that would only end when
the proletariat joined together to overthrow the bourgeoisie
 After this conflict, the proletariat would create a classless society
where each would contribute according to ability and each would be
rewarded according to his needs
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Emile Durkheim
 Concerned with problem of social order and the
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interdependent parts that maintain a system
Viewed the role of the independent parts in terms of
their function – the consequence that an element
of society produces for the maintenance of its social
system.
Particularly interested in the function of religion in
maintaining social order.
Famous study Suicide
Sociologists should only study the directly observable
Max Weber
 Interested in separate groups in society and not
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society as a whole
Emphasis on the effects of society on the individual
Sociologists should go beyond the directly observable
to uncover the feelings and thoughts of individuals
Verstehen – an attempt to understand the
meanings individuals attach to their actions =
Putting oneself in the place of others to see the
situation through their eyes.
Ideal type – a description comprised of the
essential characteristics of a feature of society.
Harriet Martineau
 Observed society in the United States including race
relations, family and religion
 Published the study Theory and Practice of Society
in America
 Set the standards for objectivity in sociological study
Jane Addams
 Opened Hull House in Chicago in 1889 to service the
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needs of the poor
If she was to help the poor she needed to know the exact
nature of their problems
Widespread survey of Chicago poor and their social
challenges
Published “Hull-House Maps and Papers.” First serious
discussion of industrialization and urbanization effects
First American Woman to be awarded Nobel Peace Prize
Founder of the field of Social Work
Three Main Theoretical Perspectives
 FUNCTIONALISTS - see society as a set of interrelated
parts that work together to produce a stable social
system; focus on functions and dysfunctions
 CONFLICT THEORISTS - focus on forces in society that
promote competition and change; see social change as an
inevitable feature of society
 INTERACTIONISTS - focus on how individuals interact
in society and on the meanings individuals attach to their
own and to other’s actions