Harriet Martineau
Harriet Martineau (/ˈmɑːrtɪnˌoʊ/; 12 June 1802 – 27 June 1876) was an English social theorist often seen as the first female sociologist, focusing on race relations within much of her published material.[1][2] She wrote from a sociological, holistic, religious and feminine angle, translated works by Auguste Comte, and, rarely for a woman writer at the time, earned enough to support herself.[3] The young Princess Victoria enjoyed her work and invited her to her 1838 coronation.[4][5] Martineau advised "a focus on all [society's] aspects, including key political, religious, and social institutions". She applied thorough analysis to women's status under men. The novelist Margaret Oliphant called her "a born lecturer and politician... less distinctively affected by her sex than perhaps any other, male or female, of her generation."[3]
Harriet Martineau | |
|---|---|
 Martineau by Richard Evans (1834 or before) | |
| Born | 12 June 1802 |
| Died | 27 June 1876 (aged 74) Ambleside, Westmorland, England |
| Burial place | Key Hill Cemetery in Birmingham, UK |
| Known for | Thorough exploration in political, religious and social institutions, as well as the work and roles of women |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Engaged to John Hugh Worthington, who died before they were able to get married. |
| Relatives | Peter Finch Martineau (uncle) Thomas Michael Greenhow (brother-in-law) |
| Family | Martineau |
| Writing career | |
| Notable works | Illustrations of Political Economy (1834) Society in America (1837) Deerbrook (1839) The Hour and the Man (1841) |