Emile Durkheim
One of the formative theorists, Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) was a French scholar known as the 'Father of Sociology'; his life work helped sociology to become established as a reputable social science. Unlike some of his contemporaries however, it was his expressed purpose to develop sociology as a discipline. This is evident through his work The Rules of the Sociological Method(1885).
Emile was born on April 15th, 1858 in Epinal, France, as the son of a rabbi.[1][2] Initially Durkheim seemed destined to follow in the footsteps of his paternal line, and become a fourth generation rabbi. However, he appears to have abandoned religious belief as he concluded his education, considering both Judaism and Christianity "outmoded". Durkheim went on to study at École Normale Supérieure in Paris beginning in 1879. Initially studying philosophy, he shifted his studies to sociology. While still intrigued by larger, philosophical questions, his method of exploration was through sociology. Sociology had developed as a social science, and thus followed a rational, scientific method of exploration. Following his studies, he went on to teach philosophy at several small secondary schools outisde Paris.
1887 was a busy year for Durkheim, as he married Louise Dreyfus, and began his tenure as a professor at the University of Bordeaux.
Emile Durkheim is probably best known for his work on Suicide, published in 1897. Rather than focusing on the personal aspects of suicide, Durkheim focused on the social aspects. In this he borrowed the idea of anomie. As one of two major uses of the term anomie across the field, Durkheim's use refers to a state of normlessness. This is the case of an individual having only very loose ties to society. In the following year, Durkheim started L'année Sociologique, one of the first sociology journals in the world. This publication was an annual publication which ran for 16 years, until the outbreak of World War I.
