Émile Durkheim
Émile Durkheim was a pioneering French sociologist who made significant contributions to the field in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
He focused on understanding how societies maintain cohesion in modern times, when traditional social and religious ties are weakening.
Durkheim established the first European sociology department and founded the journal L'Année Sociologique.
His works, including "The Division of Labor in Society" and "The Elementary Forms of Religious Life," explored topics such as religion, education, and deviance.
Durkheim championed sociology as a legitimate science, promoting structural functionalism and the study of social phenomena at a societal level rather than focusing on individual actions.
