Emile Durkheim
Sociology is an extremely important field of study that has dramatically changed the world in which we live. Emile Durkheim has played a major role in shaping sociology and its theories. The purpose of this discussion is to provide an overview of the theorist and his work. The discussion will focus on the work and an evaluation of the validity of the theory.
The Theorist book entitled Emile Durkheim, 1858-1917: A Collection of Essays, with Translations and a Bibliography describes the socialist and his theories. Durkheim was born April 13, 1958 in epinal, France. Epinal is located in the Vosges region of Vosges. (Durkheim, emile) Thought and intellectual capabilities came to him easily as his ancestors were rabbinical scholars; in fact, Emile was supposed to become a Rabbi and continue this tradition. (Durkheim, emile)
There is very little known about his parents; the book reports that he rarely spoke about his parents. One of his most influential teachers was a Catholic woman and while under her tutorage he studied a mystical form of Catholicism. However, the book explains that Durkheim was actually agnostic.
The book asserts that at the time that he was born the country was in conflict. Blend et al. (1960) explains that When Durkheim was born, in the France of the Second Empire, conflicting currents coexisted. In the provinces, the farmers still lived very much as they had for the previous ten centuries. There were more artisans than industrial workmen, and among the latter poverty prevailed, along with a constant fear of unemployment, disease, and accidents against which no insurance was provided." (Blend et al., 1960)
During his early years, Durkheim experienced a great deal of success in school and achieved his baccalaureate. He also received "national laurels in the Concours General." (Blend et al., 1960) Indeed, it was always apparent that Durkheim would achieve a great deal in Academia.
The book goes on to explain that Durkheim moved to Paris when he was eighteen to complete his secondary education. The author asserts that Paris was very different from his Durkheim's native town.
Indeed, Paris was much more grand and boasted of glamour and foreign visitors.
Durkheims instructors had encouraged him to move to Paris to complete the Ecole Normale Superieure. (Blend et al., 1960) The authors assert that Durheim's motivations for attending school was quite different than those of his peers. The book asserts that his vocation was not merely that of a teacher yearning for security and a dignified career. He knew that he had in him the traits of a prophet and a missionary; that he wanted to convert disciples to a doctrine and, through teaching and thinking, enable his students to fulfill their role in the social recovery of his country, saddened by her recent defeat and the mutilation of Alsace-Lorraine...it became evident very early in Durkheim's career as a student that he did not share the youthful ebullience of his companions but believed that effort and even sorrow were more conducive to the spiritual progress of individuals than joy or pleasure. (Blend et al., 1960)
The book also explains that the theorist came from modest means and that he was impatient with the disciplined nature of the Ecole Normale Superieure. He thought that the rigorous study of Latin verse and rhetoric were counterproductive to the intellectual life that he was attempting to revive. He did not become a part of the Ecole Normale Superieure 1878 with his other classmates. However, he did enter the elite group in 1879 and found a great deal of financial security and acceptance among other members of the class. Many of the people in his class expected him to score well on the examination, however he scored next to last in his class. One of the reasons why his ideas were not well received was because they were original. The fact that his originality was frowned upon was of no concern to Durkheim because he believed in his ideas. Durkheim was rejected in many academic...
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