Emile Durkheim (years of life - 1858-1917) - one of the outstanding sociologists. He was born in France, in the city of Epinal. Emil's father was a rabbi.
Training period
The future sociologist graduated from college in Epinal and then went to Paris to continue his studies. In the French capital, he lived the bulk of his life. Here he created many works, founded the department of sociology of the Sorbonne. Durkheim was preparing for the exam for the Higher Normal School at the Lyceum Louis the Great. He passed the exam in 1879. At this time, he met in the boarding house Joffre with J. Jaurès. This man later became the leader of the socialist party, a fighter against war, militarism and colonialism. The higher normal school was considered one of the best educational institutions in France at that time. Here Durkheim listened to lectures by well-known professors - the philosopher E. Bugru and the historian F. de Coulange. In 1882, Emil passed the exam and received the title of teacher of philosophy. Thenhe left for three years to teach this subject in Sana'a and Saint-Quentin.
The appearance of the first scientific articles, lectures
Durkheim in 1885-1886 decided to take a year off and devote this time to the study of social sciences. First, he "upgraded his qualifications" (as they say today) in Paris, and then in Germany, with W. Wundt, a well-known social psychologist. This allowed Durkheim to write and publish 3 articles at once next year.
Then, in 1887, he was appointed by ministerial decree as professor of sociology and pedagogy at the University of Bordeaux. It should be said that the course that Emile Durkheim taught here became the first course in sociology at the universities of France. One more circumstance should be noted: pedagogy and sociology from this period became closely intertwined in the practical and theoretical activities of this scientist. Durkheim continued to teach in the late 1880s and early 1890s, and also wrote articles on various topics: on the definition of socialism, on murder and fertility, etc.
Works relating to the last decade of the 19th century
Emile Durkheim wrote books at different times, but the most fruitful stage in his work from this point of view is the last decade of the 19th century. In 1893, Emil defended his doctoral dissertation, speaking with the work "On the division of social labor." In addition, he wrote another dissertation in Latin - "Montesquieu's contribution to the development of social science." In the same year, the first of them waspublished as a book. In 1895, a monograph created by Emile Durkheim, The Method of Sociology, was published.
And 2 years later, in 1897, his work "Suicide" appears. In addition to three fundamental works, Durkheim also published a number of major articles in the journal Philosophical Review, as well as in the Sociological Yearbook, which he founded in 1896. Thus, this decade was very creatively productive for such a scientist as Emile Durkheim. Sociology thanks to his work received a new impetus to development.
Work at the Sorbonne, interest in the study of religion
Since 1902, a new stage in Durkheim's work begins. At this time, he was invited to work at the Sorbonne as a freelancer in the department of pedagogy. In addition to the issues of upbringing and education, which are very attractive to Emil as a theoretician and practical teacher, Durkheim is becoming increasingly interested in religious issues. In the end, his long-term interest in this topic is reflected in another fundamental work, written in 1912 ("Elementary Forms of Religious Life"). This work is considered by many experts studying the work of Emile Durkheim to be his most significant work. Since 1906, Emil has become a full-time professor at the Sorbonne, as well as the head of the department of pedagogy, which in 1913 became known as the department of sociology.
Studying the problems of upbringing, education, moralconsciousness
All this time the scientist spends a lot of time studying the issues of upbringing, education, moral consciousness. In this connection we should mention Durkheim's famous lecture "Pedagogy and Sociology", which was published as a separate work. This also includes the message "The Determination of the Moral Fact", which was made in the French Philosophical Society by Emile Durkheim. The contribution to the sociology of these works was also significant.
Death of son
The world war that began in 1914 brings suffering and grief to Durkheim. On the Thessaloniki front, his son dies in 1915. He was a promising young sociologist, in whom Emil saw his successor and successor. The death of his only son aggravated Durkheim's illness and hastened his death. Emil passed away in November 1917.
Community redevelopment plans
Emil acutely felt the crisis of bourgeois society. With all his strength, he tried to oppose him with plans for social reorganization, sociologically justified. To achieve his goal, Durkheim actively used the slogan of social solidarity, popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The scientist devoted a lot of time to its theoretical justification. Durkheim, being reformist and anti-revolutionary, welcomed the creation of professional corporations. According to the scientist, they could significantly improve morality in society. Working for a long time in the field of practical and theoretical pedagogy, Durkheim believed that the whole systemupbringing and education should be subject to substantial restructuring. In this process, in his opinion, it was sociology that was to play a large positive role. Émile Durkheim, whose society we have just described briefly, was not just interested in questions of morality. He took concrete steps to implement his ideas. Thanks to them, even a law was passed, which we will now talk about.
Law issued thanks to Durkheim's research
Emil's research in the field of religion, which he carried out in parallel with the study of education and upbringing, led Durkheim to the understanding that the influence of the church on university and school education should be excluded. The scientist believed that it was necessary to fight against the dominance of the clerics. Durkheim made a great contribution to the rationale for the policy of separating the church from the state and the school. This struggle was crowned with success: in 1905, a corresponding law was issued in France.
Durkheim's students, attitude towards socialism
Emil left behind a whole school of sociologists that lasted until the early 1930s. Among his students were many well-known researchers: M. Halbwachs, M. Moss, E. Levy-Bruhl, F. Simian, A. Hertz, A. Hubert and others. Durkheim was no stranger to politics. It is known about the connections of the thinker with the French socialists, as well as his friendship with J. Jaurès, their leader. Much has been written and said about this in its time. However, Durkheim's attitude towards socialism was ambiguous. In particular, Emil considered it as an erroneouseconomic doctrine, which, moreover, does not pay due attention to moral problems. On the issue of conflict between classes, which the socialists considered almost the main problem in society, the French sociologist also had a different opinion. He believed that only as a result of reforms in the structure of society would an improvement in the life of workers come. At the same time, these reforms should be adopted after all classes realize the need for their implementation. Only then will improving the lives of workers not lead to social conflicts.
We invite you to take a closer look at two problems, suicide and religion, the study of which Emile Durkheim devoted a lot of time to.
Briefly about the problem of suicide
Emil collected and analyzed statistical data reflecting the dynamics of suicide in European countries. He did this in order to refute theories according to which this act was explained by biological, geographical, seasonal, psychopathological or psychological factors. Durkheim believed that only sociology could explain the differences in the number of suicides that are observed in different periods in different countries. The scientist put forward an alternative opinion. He suggested that suicide is a "social fact" (Emile Durkheim is considered the originator of the term), that is, it is a product of agreements, expectations and meanings that arise as a result of the interaction of people with each other. The scientist identified types of suicides. They are due to the different strength of the influence on the individual of the norms existing in society.
Types of suicides
The first type is observed when a person deliberately breaks social ties. This is selfish suicide.
The second type arises as a result of the fact that a person is absolutely integrated into the social environment. This is altruistic suicide. An example of this is the captain, who during a shipwreck must, according to the code of honor, drown with his ship.
Another type is anomic suicide. It is connected with the fact that in society there is a loss of the value system. The old norms no longer work in it, and the new ones have not yet had time to form. Emile Durkheim, whose theory is marked by the creation of a number of new concepts, called this state of "social anomie". From his point of view, it is characteristic of societies undergoing transformation (for example, rapid urbanization).
The last type of suicide is fatalistic. This is a consequence of society's excessive control over the individual. This type is not very common.
Suicide rate
Emil noticed that suicide is more common among Protestants than among Catholics. In addition, unmarried and unmarried people are more likely to take this step than those who are married. There are more suicides among the military than among the civilian population. There are also more of them in times of peace than during periods of revolution and war. Suicide occurs more frequently during economic downturns than during years of economic stability. In addition, there are fewer of them in rural areas than in cities.
Unlike other works by the author of "Suicide"based on the analysis of statistical material. Durkheim thus founded applied sociology and also contributed to the development of quantitative analysis in this science.
Analysis of religion
Emile Durkheim believed that religion is a social phenomenon. He believed that she could only appear in society. Durkheim himself was not a believer. In 1912, as we have already noted, Emil's study "Elementary Forms of Religious Life" appeared. It was created largely under the influence of the ideas of W. Robertson-Smith. In this work, the scientist refused to recognize religion as solely self-deception or the product of a delusion of the mind. In his opinion, it is a sphere of activity in which the gods mean nothing more than social reality.
The Significance of Durkheim's Achievements
Now you have a general idea of what Emile Durkheim became famous for. The main ideas were briefly outlined by us. Let us note that although Durkheim was inferior in popularity to Spencer or Comte during his lifetime, modern sociologists estimate his scientific merits even higher than the achievements of these scientists. The fact is that the predecessors of the French thinker were representatives of a philosophical approach to understanding the tasks and subject matter of sociology. And it was Emile Durkheim who completed its formation as an independent humanitarian science, which has its own conceptual apparatus. Sociology, thanks to his work, became of interest to many. He showed what great possibilitiesopens a deep analysis of various phenomena, carried out from the point of view of this science.
