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Criminologists and Reformers

Gabriel Tarde

Criminological Theorists and Social Scientists

French sociologist, criminologist, and legal theorist who rejected Cesare Lombroso's theory of the born criminal in favor of a psychological and social account of crime. His laws of imitation, developed across works including Penal Philosophy (1890), held that imitation among individuals is a basic mechanism of social and criminal behavior, anticipating later social learning approaches to criminology. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Birth YearSourced to the subject's own account
1843 1
Death YearSourced to the subject's own account
1904 1
BirthplaceSourced to the subject's own account
Sarlat-la-Caneda, Dordogne, France 1
Nationality
French 2
Defining ContributionSourced to the subject's own account
Developed the laws of imitation as a psychological and social explanation of criminal and social behavior. 1
Notable WorkSourced to the subject's own account
Penal Philosophy (1890) 1
FAQs

What did Gabriel Tarde see as the fundamental forces behind social life?

Tarde held that imitation and innovation are the fundamental forces of social life.

Gabriel Tarde conceived sociology as based on small psychological interactions among individuals, much as if it were chemistry, with imitation and innovation as the fundamental forces. His laws of imitation grew out of this view.
Connections

Informed

Source Wikipedia: Gabriel Tarde
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Gabriel Tarde
  • Introductory biographical section
    the fundamental forces being imitation and innovation
  • Infobox
  • Lead section
  • Notable works section
  • Informed: Differential Association Theory
View the Source
2. Wikidata: Gabriel Tarde
Wikidata Q315372, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source
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