Emile Durkheim (1858–1917) bridged the disciplines of sociology and the equally new notion of anthropology. He also founded the school of thought called Functionalism. Functionalism maintains that a society, in essence, took on a personality of its own and could be objectively viewed the way a scientist or physician may regard a living organism.

He proposed that cultures have a collective consciousness. The values and beliefs held by a culture direct the behavior of its members without their even knowing it. Modern Americans don't need to be told that cannibalism is wrong. This is hardwired and second nature. Yet there are cultures where cannibalism was and is not only practiced, but also considered a perfectly appropriate culinary option. Those that do not conform are deviants, and as a result, criminology and the study of deviance are offshoot sociological schools that study society's miscreants.

For the most part, however, the majority of citizens fall within the parameters of their particular collective consciousness. Durkheim and his followers also engaged in extensive fieldwork, the term used to describe venturing out of the confines of the classroom or the laboratory and indulging in some hands-on investigations. This fieldwork led them to the study of many primitive societies, which is a mainstay of the modern discipline of anthropology.