Explore Durkheim's contribution to sociological theory

Explore Durkheim's contribution to sociological theory Emile Durkheim was born in France, and is widely regarded as the 'founding father' who put sociology on a professional footing in France in particular, and paved the way for this professionalisation to occur across the rest of Europe. He is now widely regarded as the 'father' of the so-called Structural-Functionalist approach in sociology: an approach developed by the North American sociologists Talcott Parsons, and Roberts Merton. Durkheim always …

…violation incites the non-violators (society as a whole) to cling together, in opposition to the violation, reaffirming that society's bond, and it's adherence to certain norms. Despite criticisms made of him, there is no doubt that Durkheim's work helped establish sociology as an academic, scientific discipline. His functional approach to the study of social phenomena; his work on theories of suicide, religion, and crime, have earned him his place as the 'founding father of sociology'.