Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx and Max Weber are three of the most influential sociologists in modern history. All three of these sociologists are considered to be founding fathers of sociology. They all wrote extensively on social theory and did groundbreaking research in the field.
Durkheim was born in France in 1858 and spent most of his life as a professor at the University of Bordeaux. His book Suicide, which was published in 1897, is one of the first major works on sociology ever written. He used statistical analysis to show that suicide rates were higher among Protestants than Catholics, and that lower class people were more likely to commit suicide than middle or upper class people.
Karl Marx was born in Germany in 1818 and developed socialist theories based on economic conditions and class struggles between workers and owners. His most influential work was Das Kapital (Capital), which he published in 1867-1894.
Max Weber was born in Germany in 1864 and wrote extensively on topics such as religion, bureaucracy, social action and rationalization (the process by which society moves away from traditional values).
Durkheim’s work focused on explaining how societies maintain their coherence and stability in the face of rapid change and uncertainty. He also explored how religion helps people cope with these changes by providing them with meaning and purpose in their lives. Marx’s writings were primarily concerned with how capitalism shaped society and how class struggles were inevitable under such conditions. Weber’s contributions focused on explaining how bureaucracy develops in complex societies, including the United States (where he lived).
