explain the development of sociology in North America.
explain the development of sociology in North America.
Sociology took shape as a discipline when the world was in disorder. Enlightenment, the French revolution, and the Industrial revolution proved chaotic for society's order and peace. Sociology took birth to analyze and understand this disorder. Auguste Comte was the founding father of Sociology, but it was Emile Durkheim who institutionalized it. Therefore, the European theorists proved vital and were responsible for the evolution of sociology within and beyond European nations.
In America, the development of sociology was informed by the same events and factors that led to European sociology formation. The University of Kansas established the first department of sociology in 1889. Soon, the Chicago School, established in 1892, became the first important center of American Sociology.
The following social scenarios were responsible for and acted as the nurturing ground for the growth of early American sociology:
- Industrialization and urbanization played a deciding role in the growth of sociology in America. Also, the events that led to the growth of European sociology informed the development of American sociology.
- The Christian religion, especially Protestantism, facilitated the foundations for American sociology. The protestant ethics reflected an interest in saving the world was adopted by the American sociologists where they substituted religion for science.
- In the late 1800s, modern university systems were established in America, which aided sociology's development. The university system began early in Europe, and it was well-established even before the birth of sociology.
- European sociology played a deciding role in American sociology development. American sociologists relied on European theorists' sociological perspectives, which aided the expansion of American sociology.
The following sentences explain the intellectual influence on the development of sociology in America:
- Herbert Spencer was the key figure who influenced American sociology even more than Comte, Durkheim, Marx, and Weber. The reason for the popularity of Spencer's sociological view was due to the following reasons; firstly, Spencer wrote in English and non-technical terms, which enhanced the accessibility of his work. Secondly, Spencer adopted a scientific orientation generating a comprehensive and abstract theory that dealt with human history. Thirdly, his theory eased people's minds regarding the problems induced in the wake of industrialization, and his theory assured that society was steadily moving towards stability and perfection.
- William Graham Sumner taught the very first sociological course in America. Sumner was a Social Darwinist, and he embraced the survival of the fittest approach towards society. He failed to formalize sociology in America; irrespective of this, his views influenced early American sociologists.
Sociology was further expanded and evolved under The Chicago School and its pioneers in America. In 1892, Albion Small founded Chicago School. The pioneers and significant Chicago School figures include W.I. Thomas, Robert Park, Charles Horton Cooley, George Herbert Mead. This School proved vital for the development of sociology in American as it dominated early American sociology. The majority of the theorists and thinkers under this School favored and adopted a structural-functional approach to sociology, facilitating the objective analysis of reality. The reason for this preference was because objective analysis of a social reality resulted in generalizable knowledge.
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