Emile Durkheim

Introduction

“Émile Durkheim, a famous French sociologist from the late 19th and early 20th century, is regarded as one of the most significant founders of modern sociology. He defined society as a sui generis reality, that cannot be reduced to its composing parts. According to him, society is formed when individual consciences interact and merge to form a synthetic reality that is unique and larger than the sum of its components. This reality cannot be explained either biologically or psychologically, but can only be interpreted sociologically and hence, supports Durkheim's claim of studying society scientifically.

Childhood and Academic life

Durkheim was born in April 1858 to a Jewish Rabbi family in the Lorraine region of France. He lost his father at the young age of 20 years and this event turned him into a highly disciplined and responsible young man.

Being an outstanding student, he succeeded in getting admission to the prestigious and highly competitive École Normale Supérieure in 1879 where he studied philosophy. By this time, Durkheim had lost his religious faith and adopted secularism with a strong bent toward moral reforms.

Durkheim, like many French philosophers during the Third Republic, looked forward to science, especially social science, and believed educational reforms as the only way to avoid the dangers of social detachments.

Durkheim qualified for the last competitive examinations at École Normale in 1882, but not with the brilliance his peers expected from him. Following this, he served as a teacher of philosophy for two state schools between 1882 and 1887 before he was offered the job of lecturer of philosophy at the University of Bordeaux. Later on, he was promoted to professor and served at the same designation till 1902.

Fame and the Effect of the Dreyfus affair

Durkheim's journey toward fame began with the recognition of the articles he published on German social science and philosophy during his stay in Germany (1885-86).

Later on, his fame and influence reached their peak with the publication of The Division of Labor in society in 1893 followed by Les Règles de la méthode sociologique (The Rules of the Sociological Method) in 1895.

As the science of popularity became more popular, Durkheim had to face several attacks as a result of the growing fears of conservative philosophers.

In the meantime, the Dreyfus affair took shape following the false charges imposed on a Jewish Officer for spying on Germans. The allegations and insults aimed at Jews during this event made Durkheim realise the hatred and potential dispute that lay hidden in society. He actively participated in the mission to release Dreyfus from all false charges. This refrained him from getting elected to Institut de France. However, he was later given a prominent position as the chair of Education and Sociology at the University of Paris in 1913, fulfilling his goal.

After his death, the lectures he delivered at the University of Bordeaux on the Pedagogical Evolution of France were published in 1938 as the most impartial book in French Education to date.

Death and Legacy

World War I was a full blow to him. He lost his trusted followers and his only son died while fighting the battle at Balkan Fort in 1916. Although he tried hard to conceal his sorrows, the insult he faced when the nationalists denounced him as a professor of “the German extraction” teaching a foreign discipline gave a final blow to him and he could never recover from the shock. Finally, he suffered a stroke and died in 1917 leaving behind only a preliminary introduction of his last great work La Morale.

Durkheim left behind a wonderful school of scholars. He had never been a dictatorial master; instead, he had inspired his disciples to go further than him and, if necessary, to disprove him.

Durkheim's influence surpassed the social sciences. Sociology, through him, became a ground-breaking discipline in France, broadening and transforming the study of economics, ethnology, art history, and the history of Chinese institutions, linguistics, and law.

Conclusion

Emile Durkheim, considered the founder of French sociology, was a social scientist who combined empirical research with sociological theory to devise a method of studying society in a more scientific manner. He believed that society was a synthetic reality whose explanations were beyond the limitations of biology and psychology and could only be explained sociologically.

His important works include The Division of Labour in Society (1893), The Rules of Sociological Methods (1895), Suicide a Case study ( 1897), The Elementary forms of Religious Life, etc. Throughout his life, he has worked as an educationist, writer, scientist, and social reformer. He died on 15th November 1917 leaving behind a group of enthusiastic scholars who took his legacy ahead.

FAQs

Q1. What makes Emile Durkheim’s work Suicide famous?

Ans. Durkheim's work Suicide, published in 1897 stated that suicide is not a personal act but it is the outcome of combined social factors that affect the mindset of an individual. It is not only famous for defying the psychological factor of suicide but is also known for the criticism it faced for holding society as the major cause of suicide.

Q2. According to Durkheim, how does the division of labour influence society?

Ans. According to Durkheim, when specific jobs are assigned to specific individuals, it affects productivity and individual skill sets positively thus resulting in economic growth. Apart from this, the division of labour promotes a feeling of unity among the people who share the job. Thus, the division of labour brings both economic and social benefits.

Q3. What is anomie according to Durkheim?

Ans. According to Durkheim, anomie refers to a condition where society becomes normless, individuals become purposeless, reject social bonds, and feel no obligation towards society.