Sociology is a relatively new discipline having emerged in the 19th century as a response to the

profound social changes taking place in Europe.In the midst of the industrial revolution,
urbanisation and the rise of capitalism . Sociologist sought to understand and explain the complex
dynamics of social life. These changes led to new forms of social inequality and conflict which
created a need for a new discipline to study and understand society . Therefore sociology emerged
in response to the need as a way to understand and explain the rapidly changing world. Thus
introduction sets the stage for a discussion of the development of sociology as a discipline.

To commence with, according to Gelles and levine ( 1999) sociology is the systematic study of
groups and societies in which people live,how societal structure and culture are constructed and
maintained and how it affect our behaviour.The development of sociology as a distinct field of
study can be attributed to a number of key founders and figures who laid the groundwork for the
father of sociology introduced the term sociology and advocated for the application of scientific
methods to the society .Comte's concept of social statics contributed to the development of
sociology in several ways. Firstly it provided a framework for studying the structure and
organization of society including things like government , law and religion. It also helped to
establish the idea that social institutions are not static but rather evolve and change overtime .
Finally it inspired later researchers to investigate how society structures shape individual
behaviour and experience. Therefore ,one can argue that Comte's concept of social statics was an
important step in the development of sociology as a discipline.

The industrial revolution was a key factor in the development of sociology because it created new
social conditions that can be studied and analysed . It must be pointed out that before the industrial
revolution most people lived in rural areas and worked in agriculture. The industrial led to
massive shift in population with more and more people moving to urban areas and working in
factories . This created new social conditions such as overcrowding , poverty and poor working
conditions which sociologist like Marx and Durkheim studied and wrote about. The industrial
revolution also led to the rise of middle class which brought new ideas and perspectives to the
study of society. Thus, one can argue that industrial revolution contributed to the development of
sociology as a discipline .

In addition to creating new social conditions , the industrial revolution also led to changes in
social thought and philosophy. Before the industrial revolution many people believed that society
was governed by divine laws or natural laws. However the industrial revolution led to a
questioning of these ideas as people saw how society was changing and how new technologies
were reshaping human lives . This led to a shift in thinking with a greater emphasis on the ideas
that society is created and shaped by human being rather than being governed by fixed laws Ritzer
(2011) . Therefore, it must be pointed out that this new ways of thinking laid the groundwork for
the development of sociology as a scientific discipline.

The enlightenment was another crucial factor in the development of sociology . The
enlightenment was a period of intelletual and cultural change that began in the late
17th century and lasted until the 18th century. During the enlightenment ,
philosophers and thinkers began to question traditional ideas, beliefs and they placed
a new emphasis on reasons and individualism. This new way of thinking led to a shift
in how people viewed society and it provided the foundation for many of the ideas
that would later be developed by sociologist for example thinkers like Locke and
Voltaire laid the groundwork for later sociological concept like individualism and
rationality.

Furthermore to the impact of individual enlightenment thinkers ,during the

enlightenment there was a growing emphasis on the importance of education and
literacy . This led to an increase in the number of people who were able to read and
write and it allowed for a greater exchange of ideas . This exchange of ideas created a
climate in which new theories and concepts about society could be developed.
Additionally, the enlightenment led to a shift in the role of the church in society .
Before the enlightenment the church was seen as the ultimate authority on all matter
of life . Thus, one can argued that the enlightenment contributed to the development
of sociology as a discipline.

Another way in which the enlightenment contributed to the development of sociology

was through its emphasis on social progress.During the enlightenment , thinkers such
as Rousseau (1712 -1778) and Kant began to question the idea that society should
remain static and unchanging. Instead they argued that society could and should be
improved through reasons and rational thought. This idea of social progress was a
crucial step in the development of sociology as a discipline that aimed to understand
and improve society. By placing an emphasis on social progress the enlightenment
helped to pave the way for later sociological theories and methods .

Additionally,feminism also contributed to the development of sociology as a

discipline. Feminism is a social movement and ideology that advocates for equality
and social justice for women. Feminism contributed to the development of sociology
through the concept of intersectionality. Intersectionality is the idea that different
forms of oppression such as sexism , racism and classism are interconnected and can
not be separated from one another. Intersectionality has helped to shape sociology by
making it more inclusive and recognizing the importance of considering multiple
forms of inequality and oppression. This concept has been influential in shaping the
study of inequality and social justice hence, contributing to the development of
sociology as a discipline .

The rise of Socialism was another important factor in the development of sociology .
The rise of socialism in the 19th century led to a new emphasis on social and
economic equality which challenged the dominant ideas of classical liberalism. This
shift in thought helped to shape the development of sociology as many early
sociologists were influenced by socialist ideas for example the work of Marx who
often considered the founder of socialism had a profound influence on early
sociologists like Durkheim and Weber. Thus, the emergence of sociologist political
parties and movements helped to shape the study of social and economic equality .
To extend on this, the rise of socialism led l to the emergence of new topic of study
within sociology . For example , the study of class conflict which is central to Marx's
work become an important focus of sociological research. The socialist emphasis on
the importance of social equality and social justice led to the development of areas of
study like stratification ,social movements and political sociology. These areas of
study were heavily influenced by socialist ideas and helped to shape the field of
sociology as we know it today.

Religion was an important factor in the development of sociology, and its impact can be seen in
the work of many early sociologists. Religious change during the enlightenment led to a
questioning of traditional beliefs, which in turn led to new ways of thinking about society. The
emergence of new religious movements, such as Protestantism, also had a significant impact on
the development of sociology. The ideas of thinkers like Marx and Durkheim were heavily
influenced by religious change, and they in turn influenced the development of sociology as a
discipline.

One of the main ways in which religious change contributed to the development of sociology was
through the process of secularization. The rise of secularism in the 18th and 19th centuries led to a
shift in how people thought about and experienced religion. This shift paved the way for a new
way of thinking about society that was not based on traditional religious ideas and institutions.
Secularization also led to the separation of church and state, which allowed for a more open and
critical examination of social issues. This paved the way for the development of sociology as a
scientific discipline.

In conclusion, the development of sociology was influenced by a number historical and

intellectual factors including the enlightenment, the rise of socialism,industrial revolution just to
mention a few and also the work of the key thinkers such as Marx ,Durkheim ,Weber and others .it
must be pointed out that sociology as a discipline was born out of the attempt to understand the
transformations that seemed to threaten the stability of society . Thus, social thinkers argued that
there was an urgent need to establish a separate science of society . The amount of changes that
occurred during the industrial revolution heavily impacted on society and it necessary to gain an
understand of these changes and how they influencing society. People were faced with a new
world and it had created disorder, poverty,misery ,diseases and conflicts (Marshall 1998).

References

1 Marshall (1998) a dictionary of sociology .

2 Ritzer ( 2011) sociological theories .

3 Durkheim (1897) suicide , the division of labour in society .

4 Weber (1922) the sociology of religion ,Economy and society (1922 -1925)
5 Marx (1867) Das kapital .

6 Rousseau (1762) the social contract.

7 Comte (1830) Cours De philosophie Positive.