Famous Sociological Researches (1899-1949)

The history of sociology can be traced as the development of sociological theories or as the development of research projects. The origins of sociology are not usually associated with empirical research. It has taken half a century for sociological researchers to make the case that the scientific community has recognized empirical sociological research as a legitimate and much-needed part of academic sociology. The book examines half a century of the evolution of the research efforts of dozens and hundreds of sociologists - their now famous social research - from its beginnings in the late nineteenth century to the final recognition of research as a legitimate part of sociology in the late 1940s. It focuses on those researches where the gradual development and advances in research methodology could be transparently shown. When selecting the projects, it was important to see how much insight the authors had into their research workshop. The aim was to present empirical research as a source of knowledge for cumulative social theory building and at the same time empirical social research based on theoretical knowledge, respecting sociological theory. The book thus introduces the reader to sixteen famous and eight extraordinary sociological researches of the first half of the twentieth century.