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... > social science subjects > politics and international relations > political science > political theory > critical theory > critical realism > social facts
... > social science subjects > sociology > social theory > critical theory > critical realism > social facts
... > social science subjects > business and management > organization studies > organization studies encyc > philosophy of organizations > critical realism > social facts
... > social science subjects > sociology > anthropology > research/theoretical frameworks > critical realism > social facts
... > social science subjects > social research > research methods and evaluation > concepts & philosophies > critical realism > social facts
social science subjects > sociology > social theory > French social theory > social facts
social science subjects > sociology > social theory > macrosociological theories > social facts
social science subjects > social research > philosophy and the social sciences > social ontology and collective intentionality > social facts

Preferred term

social facts  

Definition

  • In his work on The Rules of Sociological Method ([1895] 1982), the French sociologist Durkheim defined social facts as ways of acting, thinking, and feeling that were external to individuals and exercised a constraint over them. Although the concept of social facts is closely identified with Durkheim, it is also relevant to the understanding of any type of social theory that treats society as an objective reality apart from its individual members. [Source: Encyclopedia of Social Theory; Social Facts]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/social_facts

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