2. The Durkheim Pages Brought to You by Sonal and Menisha One Of The Forefathers Of Sociology

3. General Information  - Born in Epinal France, April 15, 1858  - He strung from family of rabbis  - Excellent student at College D’ Epinal  - Wanted to pursue his career of a teacher  - After finally completing his education, he began teaching philosophy in 1882  - Durkheim’s son died in WW1

4. Field of Research  - Durkheim’s work was greatly focused on the certainty of society and social structures  - Focused on the notions of collective representations (common ideas and symbols of a community).  - Introduced concept of society as a moral construct

5.  - Concept of collective conscience  Social order was dependent upon an implicit system of values  - Social unions arose for mutual interests  - Social facts: “ways of acting, thinking and feeling external to the individuals”  - Criticisms: his theory leaves out entirely the thought of the individual

6. Important Contributions  - Created anomie  - Certain structures in society are so powerful that they control the actions of men.  - Principal works included: the division of labor in society, the rules of sociological method, suicide: a study in sociology  - Teacher of social science

7. Why Is Durkheim Important  - Studies of social structure and change as well as collective consciences allowed society to determine the possible dangers that social implemented on them  - Moreover he was the world’s first official sociologist and was credited to making sociology a science

8. Interesting Facts  His friends nicknamed him “the metaphysician”  - Durkheim tended to insult professors teaching styles a lot.  Because of this, he graduated at the bottom of his class  Although raised Jewish and after studying Catholicism Emile became Atheist later in life