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Auguste Comte
A Frenchman, he is recognized as the father of sociology. he believed social behavior was studied scientifically. He published a book on all of his theories titled Positive Philosophy, -
Harriet Martineau
An Englishwoman, she was a popular writer for celebrity status. She is best know for the translation of Comte's book, Positive Philosophy. Her English translation remains the most readable one. -
Karl Marx
A German scholar who did not consider himself as a sociologist. He was the editor of a radical newspaper. For him the key to unfolding history was class conflict. -
Herbert Spencer
An Englishman whose career become a mixture of engineering, drafting, inventing, journalism, and writing. He compared society to the human body. He introduced a theory of society change called Social Darwinism. -
Robert Ezra Park
He was an aide to Booker T. Washington at the Tuskegee Institute. He taught at the University of Chicago, where he specialized in race relations and human ecology. He believed sociologists were "supper reporters." -
Booker T. Washington
He began his life in slavery, after emancipation he became and educator and founded the Tuskegee Institute in 1881. He worked under the assumption that African Americans should accept segregation in return for promises of economic gains. -
Emile Durkheim
Son of a french Rabi. According to him society exists because of a broad consensus, or agreement, among members of society. Durkheim showed that human social behavior must be explained by social factors rather than just psychological ones. -
Jane Addams
Best known for her early female social reformers in the U.S. She focused on the problems caused by imbalance of power among the social class. She was active in the women suffrage and peace movement. -
George Herbert Mead
Taught at the University of Chicago. He explored how our sense of self develops. It interacts with our world. Language, symbols, and communication are at the heart of this process. -
Max Weber
Eldest son of a German politician. He trained in law and economics, He wrote about many things. He believed that that an understanding of the personal intentions of people in groups can be best accomplished by he method of verstehen. -
W.E.B. Du Bois
A African american educator and social activist. First African american to receive a doctorate from Harvard. He decided to do something about the "Negro Problems" in Philadelphia. -
Julian Samora
Firs known Mexican to earn a doctorate in sociology when he graduated from Washington University. He focused on the civil rights and discrimination and poverty.
