Box 1.3. Pioneering founders of sociology
August Comte, French, 1798-1857; key concepts:
social static and social dynamic
Karl Marx, German, (1818-1883), key concepts:
class conflict, alienation, historical materialism, etc
Emile Durkheim, French, 1858-1917; key concept:
social fact
Max Weber, German, 1864=1920; key concepts:
social action; subjective meanings
Herbert Spencer, British, 1820-1903; key concept:
social Darwinism
Harriet Martineau, British, 1802-1876; active
advocate of abolition of slavery and gender issues1.1.3. Subject Matter, Scope and Concerns of
Sociology
The scope of sociology is extremely wide ranging, from
the analysis of passing encounter between individuals
on the street up to the investigation of global social
processes The discipline covers an extremely broad
range that includes every aspect of human social