What is it about?
The sociological group had philosophical training, jobs in philosophy and had to obtain philosophical legitimacy as a means to gain a place in academia in late 19th century France. The group formed by Durkheim and his supporters, who published the Année sociologique, also had ties to an important philosophical journal of the period, the Revue de métaphysique et de morale.
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Why is it important?
The philosophical underpinnings of sociology are often forgotten today but the debates with philosophers shaped important concepts and approaches of the early discipline. This particularly true of Durkheim's apparently theoretical changes in his approach, which were clearly motivated by the debates of the period (now largely forgotten).
Perspectives
Historical context is important to understand the intellectual development of disciplines and authors, who are not functioning in a vacuum but interacting with their contemporaries and intellectual peers (many of whom are now forgotten). Great figures tend to be treated as if their ideas sprang solely from their originality or genius rather than as being due to engagement with their intellectual, political and social context.
Daniela Barberis
North Central College
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This page is a summary of: The Philosophers of the Année sociologique and the Status of Sociology as a Science, July 2025, De Gruyter,
DOI: 10.1163/9789004722217_015.
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