Sociology vs History? Some Thoughts on the Place of Historical Methodology in Sociology of Durkheim and Gökalp

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This paper proposes to study the place of history in sociological analysis of Durkheim and Gokalp. The founder of the French sociology has a complex relationship to history. He endeavors to lay in Regles, the basis of a new discipline and criticize severely the historical method. Thus, in this book, he shows certain reluctance to history, but he don t reject categorically the place of historical method in sociological analysis. In order to obtain autonomy for sociology, he contrasts two traditions of analysis of the social world: the chronological history and philosophy of history. However, Durkheim believes the possibility or even the necessity of a history made sociologically. As for Gökalp, disciple of Durkheim, he endeavors, on the one hand, to establish sociology as an autonomous discipline in Turkey and, on the other hand, resorts to history to seek the rudiments of the nascent Turkish nationalism. This delicate undertaking of Gökalp, founding father of Turkish sociology and ideologue of Turkish nationalism, is the main purpose of this paper.

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Durkheim , Gökalp , Turkish nationalism , Historical method , French sociology , Turkish sociology

Turkish journal of sociology

186

Turkish journal of sociology