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Auguste Comte
Known as Father of sociology. He worked on positivism. He wrote a book called "Positive Philosophy". No science of society existed so his goal was to create one himself. -
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Harriet Martineau
Translated Comte's sociology book to English. This translation today is still the most legible one there is on this book. She made contributions to research methods, political economy, and feminist theory. -
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Karl Marx
Identified social classes. He felt the key to unfolding history was class conflict. He felt that social scientists should try to change the world rather that just study it. -
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Herbert Spencer
He came up with the theory of Darwinism. He thought that evolutionary social change would ensure the fittest society. He compared society to the human body. He explained that like a body, a society is made up of pieces working together to promote it's well-being and survival. He wrote the poor deserve to be poor and the rich deserve to be rich. -
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Booker T. Washington
He felt that african americans should accept segregation in return for promises of economic gains. He had begun his life in slavery. After he was emancipated, he became an educator. -
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Emile Durkheim
Introduced the use of statistical techniques to study sociology. This contributed to his groundbreaking research on suicide. He demonstrated that suicide involved more than individuals acting alone and suicide rates vary according to group characteristics. -
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Jane Addams
Focused on problems caused by the imbalance of power among the social classes. Attended Women's Medical College of Philadelphia because of illness. She was encouraged to work in Sociology when she went on a trip in London and saw how much they tried helping the poor. -
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George Herbert Mead
Explored how our sense of self develops.Taught at University of Chicago. According to Mead, our sense of self develops as we interact with the world. Language, symbols, and communication are the biggest part of this process. His work laid the foundation for the theoretical perspective of symbolic interactionism. -
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Max Weber
He felt sociologists must discover the personal meanings, value, beliefs, and attitudes underlying human social behavior. He thought that you could understand social behavior better if you were to put yourself in someone else's shoes. -
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Robert Ezra Park
Interested in how populations grow and change. He was an aide for Booker T. Washington. He taught at University of Chicago. He specialized in race relations, human ecology, the study of the relationship among others, social groups, and their social environments. -
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W.E.B Du Bois
Black activist, focused on racial discrimination, segregation, and injustice. First african american to receive a diploma at his high school. Became first african american to receive a doctorate from Harvard University. -
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Julian Samora
First Mexican American to earn a doctorate in Sociology. Focus was on civil rights and discrimination, poverty, public health, and the movement of people along the Mexican-American border.