Émile Durkheim

Warren Schmaus (Illinois Institute of Technology)

Ed. by Tim Unwin, University of Bristol
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.06: French Writing and Culture: Early Twentieth-century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: Kate Averis (University of Western Australia), Hugo Azerad (University of Cambridge), Patrick ffrench (King's College London), Edward Forman (University of Bristol), Akane Kawakami (Birkbeck, University of London), Siobhán McIlvanney (King's College London), Sinan Richards (King's College London), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Dates

Born 15 Apr 1858
Died 15 Nov 1917
Activity 1883-1917

Places

Born in France
Active in France

Activities

Primary

Sociologist

Resources

Durkheim's Works

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Émile Durkheim was the founder of sociology as an academic discipline. While some of his collaborators on the journal

L'Année sociologique

were politically active, he was the sort of serious, hard-working scholar who seems to have spent his entire adult life at his desk. Thus the story of his life is about the books he wrote, the courses he taught, and the journal he helped to edit. His works continue to have an enormous impact on the social sciences, especially in anglo- and francophone countries.

Durkheim was the son of a rabbi and was born on April 15, 1858 in Épinal in the department of Vosges, France. His aspirations took him to Paris, where he studied philosophy at the prestigious École Normale Supérieure. He then taught philosophy in lycées for a few years. In the academic

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4399 words

Citation: Schmaus, Warren. "Émile Durkheim". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 January 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1361, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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