Читать книгу Sociology - Anthony Giddens - Страница 47

Harriet Martineau has been called the ‘first woman sociologist’, but, like Marx and Weber, she cannot be thought of simply as a sociologist. She was born and educated in England and was the author of more than fifty books as well as numerous essays. Martineau is now credited with introducing sociology to Britain through her translation of Comte’s founding treatise, Positive Philosophy (see Rossi 1973). In addition, she conducted a first-hand, systematic study of American society during her extensive travels throughout the United States in the 1830s, the subject of her book Society in America (Martineau 1962 [1837]). Martineau is significant to sociologists today for several reasons.

First, she argued that, when one studies a society, one must focus on all its aspects, including key political, religious and social institutions. Second, she insisted that an analysis of a society must include an understanding of women’s lives, something that became commonplace in mainstream sociology with feminist interventions only in the 1970s. Third, she was the first to turn a sociological eye on previously ignored issues, among them marriage, children, domestic and religious life, and race relations. As she once wrote: ‘The nursery, the boudoir, and the kitchen are all excellent schools in which to learn the morals and manners of a people’ (1962 [1837]). Finally, she argued that sociologists should do more than just observe; they should also act in ways to benefit a society. As a result, Martineau was an active proponent of both women’s rights and the emancipation of slaves.