Famous Sociologists

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Which theorist argued that religion is the opiate of the masses? Who debated with Marx through their text? Which colonial thinker introduced the world to reception theory? This explanation will introduce you to a number of famous sociologists.

Every discipline has its signature individuals, from founding fathers to founding mothers who have changed how we think about the subject. Hold tight! Let's begin and explore some famous sociologists.

Who are the most famous sociologists in history?
Who are some of the most famous sociologists alive today?
Who are the famous female sociologists?
What are some famous sociologists and their theories?
What are some quotes by famous sociologists?

Famous sociologists in history

If we were to try and explore every sociologist to have an impact on the discipline, we would be here all day. But had it not been for Auguste Comte, or Karl Marx, whose works would form the basis of Marxist theory, the discipline may not be what it is today. You should understand who helped to shape the discipline, and how they did so.

We will move chronologically, starting at the birth of the discipline and working our way forward to the modern day. So tuck in, and let’s begin with Auguste Comte.

Sociologist	Years and location(s)	Area of study	Key facts
Auguste Comte	1798-1857 France	The creation of sociology The scientific method Positivism	Comte is best known for being the founder of both sociology and positivism. One of his biggest contributions is actually the word ‘sociology’!
Harriet Martineau	1802-1876 England	Early feminism Studying societies	One of the first women to contribute to sociology, Martineau theorised about the patriarchal conditions of women in the 19th century, as well as major religious, social, and political institutions in society. Considered by many to be the "mother" of sociology.
Karl Marx	1818-1883 Prussia France England	The development of Marxism Capitalism	Karl Marx’s most significant contribution to sociology is Marxist theory.
Herbert Spencer	1820-1903 England	Categorising societies Synthetic philosophy	Responsible for coining the term 'survival of the fittest', years before Charles Darwin wrote it in the Origin of Species! Created the controversial theory of Social Darwinism.
Émile Durkheim	1858-1917 France	Functionalism Positivism	Durkheim developed the academic discipline of sociology, allowing the subject to be taught in universities. Known as a key functionalist sociologist speaking on many areas of sociology.
Robert E. Park	1864-1944 United States	The Chicago School of Sociology The Study of Human Behaviour	Park is considered an essential urban sociologist, as he is one of the key figures in what became known as the Chicago school of sociology.
Max Weber	1864-1920 Germany	Social action theory Social stratification	Max Weber is often referred to as being in conversation or debate with Marx. Weber saw both structure and action as important to understanding social phenomena.
Charles H. Cooley	1864-1929 United States	Social processes Identity and self	Charles H. Cooley popularised the concept of the 'looking-glass self', which conceptualises how people view themselves.
George Murdock	1897-1985 United States	Ethnography	Murdock's focus was ethnography, a branch of study that deals with empirical data on societies and cultures. He believed to adequately study society, you need to take a cross-cultural approach.
W.E.B Du Bois	1907-1963 United States Ghana	Race theory	W.E.B. Du Bois is widely regarded as the first African-American sociologist. The Souls of Black Folk explores Du Bois's experience as an ethnic man.
Talcott Parsons	1902-1979 United States	Functionalism	Talcott Parsons is an American functionalist sociologist. One of his significant contributions was introducing the work of Max Weber to an American sociological audience. Today, Parsons is taught in all sociological courses across the globe.
Jessie Bernard	1903-1996 United States	Family structure	Jessie Bernard became a front-runner in American feminism in her lifetime. She worked in civil service before moving into sociological teaching and writing.
Kingsley Davis	1908-1997 United States	Social rewards	Kingsley Davis is a well-known American Sociologist. He gained popularity through his work published with Wilbert E. Moore on societal rewards.

Famous Sociologists, the Karl-Marx Monument in Chemnitz, Germany. The Monument is placed in front of a building and shows the head of the famous Karl Marx, StudySmarter The text and theories put forward by Karl Marx form what is now known as Marxism. Unsplash.com.

Famous sociologists today: modern sociology

We’ve now entered the modern stage of sociologists. While not all of these theorists are still with us today, they’ve had a tremendous impact on the growth of the discipline in the 21st century.

Robert K. Merton’s theories formed Strain theory, a key functionalist theory for explaining crime, while C. Wright Mills explored the significance of the sociological imagination. Read on to learn more about the famous sociologists of the modern day.

Famous sociologist	Years and location(s)	Area of study	Key facts
Robert K. Merton	1910-2003 United States	Crime and deviance Strain theory	Merton's studies and interests were vast. He is best credited with introducing ideas such as the self-fulling prophecy and role models. The American dream was also a significant interest for Merton. The American dream is the belief that if an individual works hard, they can achieve success.
Wilbert E. Moore	1914-1987 United States	Social stratification	Moore rose to popularity with the research he co-authored along with Kingsley Davis into social stratification as a necessity in society.
C. Wright Mills	1916-1962 United States	The Sociological Imagination	C. Wright Mills’ most significant contribution to the discipline was The Sociological Imagination. The Sociological Imagination is a framework for viewing the world.
Albert Cohen	1918-2014 United States	Status frustration Crime and deviance	Cohen theorised about the rise of anti-social behaviour in Western Societies. He developed the concept of status frustration, which builds largely upon Robert K. Merton's Strain Theory.
Louis Althusser	1918-1990 Algeria France	Marxism State apparatus	A neo-Marxist, Althusser built on Marxist theory. He argued that the upper class maintained control by controlling the repressive state apparatus and ideological state apparatus to keep the proletariat oppressed.
Michel Foucault	1926-1984 France	Power Surveillance	Many of Foucault's theories have a strong focus on knowledge, power and surveillance in society.
Pierre Bourdieu	1930-2003 France	Capital	Bourdieu theorised on different types of capital and their significance in modern society.
Stuart Hall	1932-2014 Jamaica	Cultural studies Jamaican sociology	Stuart Hall campaigned for racial justice and studied the relationship between culture and identity.
Anthony Giddens	1938- England	Structuration	Giddens' most notable contributions to sociology is the theory of structuration. He has worked as a political advisor for numerous governments.
Judith Stacey	1943- United States	Postmodernism Family arrangements	Stacey argues that women now have more choices than ever in their family arrangements, allowing them to be free from patriarchal oppression.
Ann Oakley	1944- England	Feminism	Oakley is regarded by many as a liberal feminist sociologist and has contributed significantly to feminist sociology.
Nancy Chodorow	1944- United States	Psychoanalytical sociology Feminism and gender	Nancy Chodorow's works include discussions of feminist psychology and psychoanalysis. She considers the psychological elements of the construction of gender.
Ulrich Beck	1944-2015 Poland Germany	Globalisation Modernity	Ulrich Beck rejects that we are in a period of postmodernity. He is most known for his claim that we are in a 'risk society' full of uncertainty.
Jeffrey Weeks	1975- England	Gay studies Sexuality	Jeffrey Weeks' work primarily focused on sexuality studies, within which he is a leading British sociologist.
Judith Butler	1956- United States	Feminism Gender identity	Judith Butler is best known for her book, Gender Troubles: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. In this book, Butler argues gender is a performance.
Catriona Mirrlees-Black	1964- England Australia	Domestic violence	Catriona Mirrlees-Black had carried out studies examining the patterns and reasons for domestic violence in society.
Howard Becker	1928- United States	Interactionism Labelling Theory Crime and deviance Education	Becker used his action-focused sociology to show that deviance is not inherent within an act, but it is the perception of the act which makes it deviant.

Famous female sociologists

As can be seen, most of those explored have been men, but there are still very famous female sociologists. Harriet Martineau, while being pivotal to the development of early sociology, also went on to become a hallmark in British feminism.

Not to be forgotten is Catriona Mirrlees-Black, whose research into domestic violence is now a starting point for domestic violence studies in the UK.

Ann Oakley is also a key female sociologist that has spoken about several issues concerning women, including the division of labour and housework and how women experience motherhood.

Famous sociologists and their theories

Subfield of sociology	Famous sociologists
Positivism	Auguste Comte
Functionalism	Herbert Spencer Emile Durkheim Charles H. Cooley Talcott Parsons Kingsley Davis Robert K. Merton Wilbert E. Moore Albert Cohen
Marxism	Karl Marx Louis Althusser
Interactionism	Howard Becker
Weberian theory	Max Weber
Structuration	Anthony Giddens
Urban sociology	Robert E. Park George Murdoch W.E.B. Du Bois Pierre Bourdieu Stuart Hall Ulrich Beck Jeffrrey Weeks
Feminism	Harriet Martineau Jessie Bernard Judith Stacey Ann Oakley Nancy Chodorow Judith Butler Catriona Mirrlees-Black

Famous sociology quotes

Religion is the opiate of the masses."

Karl Marx

Education is preparation to live completely."

Herbert Spencer

The function of sociology, as of every science, is to reveal what is hidden."

Pierre Bourdieu

Famous Sociologists - Key takeaways

Every discipline has its signature individuals, from founding fathers to founding mothers who have changed how we think about the subject.
Famous sociologists in history include Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, Émile Durkheim and Harriet Martineau.
Famous sociologists in modern history include Robert Merton, Albert Cohen and Ann Oakley.
There were also notable famous female sociologists, including Harriet Martineau, Catriona Mirrlees-Black and Ann Oakley.

Frequently Asked Questions about Famous Sociologists

There are many famous sociologists, but many believe August Comte to be famous as he coined the term 'sociology'.

Some claim that, Émile Durkheim Max Weber and Karl Marx are the 3 fathers of sociology.

Well-known sociologists include Émile Durkheim, Karl Marx and Max Weber. However, there are many well-known sociologists.

Harriet Martineau is stated to be the mother of sociology.

Émile Durkheim became the first professor of sociology. He developed sociology as an academic discipline of sociology, allowing the subject to be taught in universities.

Flashcards in Famous Sociologists367

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In which year did Comte enter the École Polytechnique in Paris?

1812

Why did Comte eventually leave the École Polytechnique?

Comte was reported to have disputed with some of his fellow professors and eventually had to leave the school in 1842.

Auguste Comte invented the word 'sociology'. True or false?

True

Which famous theorist institutionalised sociology?

Émile Durkheim

Fill in the blanks:

1. _____ believed that society progresses through changes in dominant modes of production.

2. _____ believed that society progresses as it adapts to a shift in values.

1. Karl Marx believed that society progresses through changes in dominant modes of production.

2. Émile Durkheim believed that society progresses as it adapts to a shift in values.

Comte believed that social change is caused by...

Comte believed that social change is caused by a shift in how we interpret reality, and as our way of knowing the world around us changes.

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Famous Sociologists

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Famous Sociologists

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Famous sociologists in history

Famous sociologists today: modern sociology

Famous female sociologists

Famous sociologists and their theories

Famous sociology quotes

Famous Sociologists - Key takeaways

Frequently Asked Questions about Famous Sociologists

Who is the most famous sociologist?

Who are the 3 fathers of sociology?

Who are well-known sociologists?

Who is the mother of sociology?

Who is the first professor of sociology?

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