21 Feb What is Sociology?

According to the American Sociological Association, sociology is:

• the study of society
• a social science involving the study of the social lives of people, groups, and societies
• the study of our behavior as social beings, covering everything from the analysis of short contracts between anonymous individuals on the street to the study of global social processes
• the scientific study of social aggregations, the entities through which humans move throughout their lives,
• an overarching unification of all studies of humankind, including history, psychology, and economics.

Those are just a few ways sociology is viewed. It is a very broad subject and there will never be a one size fits all definition for it. A person’s life and choices are influenced by their social location; which can include race, social class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc. If we work to understand the different levels of society and how they interact, it will contribute to improving social processes.  The study of sociology developed in Europe in the 1800s. Auguste Comte is credited as the founder of sociology and he believed order and change should be a sociologist’s primary focus. The following individuals also were recognized as contributors to the discipline: Emile Durkheim – believed society is interrelated parts. He applied scientific principles to the study of society. Karl Marx – believed society is influenced by economics; the imbalance of power between two classes lead to rebellion. Max Weber – focused on groups within society and the effects on the individual. There also were African-American sociologists that made profound contributions to sociology. In many instances, they did not receive the notoriety they deserved. The following individuals were leading contributors: Sojourner Truth – born into slavery, she was a noted abolitionist and advocate for women’s suffrage. In 1851, she delivered her famous speech “Ain’t I a Woman?”, which influenced sociology and feminist studies. The speech established the foundation for intersectionality theories. Anna Julia Cooper – born into slavery, she was viewed as one of the most important scholars in U.S. history for her contributions to early American sociology. In 1892, she expressed her ideas on black feminist thought in her first and only published work, A Voice from the South.   W.E.B. DuBois – born free, he was viewed as one of the founding thinkers of modern sociology. He was the first African American to earn a doctorate degree at Harvard University in the sociology discipline and he was a founding member of the NAACP. His most notable contributions to sociology were The Philadelphia Negro, The Souls of Black Folk, and Black Reconstruction in America. Now that we have some background on sociology, we can embark on our journey of expanding our knowledge base. Remember, in the world of sociology, things are never what they seem to be!