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David Émile Durkheim was a French sociologist. Durkheim formally established the academic discipline of sociology and is commonly cited as one of the principal architects of modern social science, along with both Karl Marx and Max Weber.
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Modernity, a topic in the humanities and social sciences, is both a historical period and the ensemble of particular socio-cultural norms, attitudes and practices that arose in the wake of the Renaissance—in the Age of Reason of 17th-century thought and the 18th-century Enlightenment. Some commentators consider the era of modernity to have ended by 1930, with World War II in 1945, or the 1980s or 1990s; the following era is called postmodernity. The term "contemporary history" is also used to refer to the post-1945 timeframe, without assigning it to either the modern or postmodern era.
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Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. In simple words sociology is the scientific study of society. It uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about social order and social change. While some sociologists conduct research that may be applied directly to social policy and welfare, others focus primarily on refining the theoretical understanding of social processes and phenomenological method. Subject matter can range from micro-level analyses of society to macro-level analyses.
The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, published by the French sociologist Émile Durkheim in 1912, is a book that analyzes religion as a social phenomenon. Durkheim attributes the development of religion to the emotional security attained through communal living. His study of totemic societies in Australia led to a conclusion that the animal or plant that each clan worshipped as a sacred power was in fact that society itself. Halfway through the text, Durkheim asks, "So if [the totem animal] is at once the symbol of the god and of the society, is that not because the god and the society are only one?"
Culture is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups. Culture is often originated from or attributed to a specific region or location.
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References
- 1 2 Anthony R. Welch (30 March 2006). The Professoriate: Profile of a Profession. Springer. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-4020-3383-4 . Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ↑ Protas Opondo Okwalo (2008). Conversation: An Approach to Faith Formation for Adults in a Kenyan Context. ProQuest. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-549-67690-4 . Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ↑ Jan Aart Scholte (5 August 2005). Globalization: A Critical Introduction. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 1–2. ISBN 978-0-230-36801-9 . Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ↑ B. Kumaravadivelu (2008). Cultural Globalization and Language Education. Yale University Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-300-11110-1 . Retrieved 23 September 2013.
