Harriet Martineau: the Influences and Impacts of Social Problems

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Harriet Martineau: The Influences and Impacts of Social Problems Sarah Cooper SOC101 Instructor Jessica Lee August 6, 2012 Harriet Martineau: The Influences and Impacts of Social Problems Harriet Martineau, an early champion of women’s rights, emancipation of slaves and religious tolerance, observed that politics, religion and child rearing were some of the greatest influences of social practices and customs. Martineau’s book, Society in America, published in 1837, examined class relations, gender and race: she considered economy, commerce, law, health and population size to have the greatest impacts on social problems. An English sociologist, Harriet Martineau believed that scholars and sociologists should not only observe society and its problems, they should “act on their convictions in a manner that will benefit society” (Schaefer, 2009). Martineau studied the works of Auguste Comte, a philosopher who created positivism and titled the scientific study of society as “sociology” (Lotha, 2007). Through her translations of Comte’s work, the study of sociology became widespread as more scholars began to look at human behavior and how it affects both groups and society as a whole. As a woman, Martineau was one of the first female sociologists who studied society from the standpoint of social issues that were specific to socioeconomic and class status. It is likely that her gender, observations and theory of “evolutionary naturalism” (Hutchein, 1998) regarding social problems resulted in her being labeled as “a radical:” her work and observations were largely dismissed by patriarchal English society of the time (Vissing, 2011). Martineau’s evolution naturalism theory was based upon her views that evolution was the key to understanding behaviors and changes at all
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