Jane Addams, the main founder of Sociology

Traditionally, the foundation of sociology has been attributed to its “fathers”: Marx, Durkheim, Weber and other men. However, a recent book has presented, among other, five arguments and evidence saying that Jane Addams is the main founder.

1. Addams’s contributions (sexism, racism, poverty, peace) are much more connected to the current sociology than the ones of traditional “fathers” such as Durkheim and Weber.
2. Addams received the Nobel Prize for her contributions to peace, she organized a women’s movement against the Great War, while Durkheim and Weber were actively supporting it, dismissing their own writings on war and peace.
3. Addams’ contributions had a clear social impact on societal improvements in relation to what we know as the Sustainable Development Goals. This is not the case with Durkheim’s and Weber’s contributions.
4. Addams was cofounder of the first Department of Sociology worldwide in 1892, the professorship of Durkheim was on Pedagogy, and Weber was almost all his life dedicated to Economy. Of course, Durkheim and Weber did sociology, as many other sociologists who have never hold a position in a sociology department or institute. I raise this point only because for decades many professors have excluded Jane Addams from sociology by saying that she was just a social worker. They accept that men can be in two fields, such as pedagogy and sociology like Durkheim, or economy and sociology like Weber, but a woman cannot.
5. Different from some individualist “fathers” of Sociology, Jane Addams promoted many young women who, together with her, were also great sociologists: Edith Abbott, Grace Abbot, Sophonisba Breckinridge, Florence Kelley, Frances Kellor, Julia Lathrop, Annie Marion MacLean, Marion Talbot.

All evidence demonstrate that feminism has been always promoted by women, men and LGTBI+. The same has happened with sociology, and we should recognize the contribution of all of them. In fact, today, there are sociologists from all this diversity promoting to end with the exclusion of Jane Addams as sociologist and as founder of Sociology.