Émile Durkheim: Father of the Sociology of Education

The establishment of the sociology of education is attributed to Émile Durkheim, one of the founding fathers of sociology. Durkheim’s fervent commitment to the sociological foundations of research methods and the inherent nature of education distinguish the sociological perspective on education from its counterparts in other social sciences, thereby inaugurating the inception of theoretical paradigms within the field of sociology of education. This chapter delineates the motivational forces behind Durkheim’s exploration of education’s multifaceted functions through the lens of social inquiry. It also discusses Durkheim’s significant contributions to the sociology of education, including innovative sociological methods for investigating educational phenomena and his three prominent books: Education and Sociology, Moral Education, and The Evolution of Educational Thought. New insights derived from Durkheim’s conceptualization of functionalism applied to the study of education are also presented. Concluding this chapter is a contemplative reflection on the unfinished intellectual endeavor of interpreting Durkheim’s work through the conflict tradition. This approach has been consistently overlooked, yet it provides valuable insights and unveils profound explanatory mechanisms for sociological analyses of education.