Émile Durkheim

Émile Durkheim was born in 1858 in Épinal, France, into a Jewish family. He studied at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris and, after teaching philosophy, turned toward the scientific study of society. He taught at the University of Bordeaux and later at the University of Paris and was among the first professors of sociology in the French academic system.

Durkheim sought to establish sociology as an independent science with its own methods. He introduced the concept of social facts to refer to collective ways of acting, thinking, and feeling that exist independently of individuals and influence their behavior. His book "The Rules of Sociological Method" (1895) presented a systematic account of his approach to the scientific study of society.

In "The Division of Labor in Society" (1893), Durkheim examined the transformation of societies from mechanical solidarity to organic solidarity. In "Suicide" (1897), through statistical and social analysis, he showed that even an individual act such as suicide can be influenced by social structures and conditions. In "The Elementary Forms of Religious Life" (1912), he studied the role of religion in creating social bonds and forming collective symbols.

Durkheim's ideas influenced sociology, anthropology, the study of religion, social theory, and the methodology of the human sciences. He died in Paris in 1917 and remains one of the most important thinkers in modern social sciences.