Harriet Martineau

Harriet Martineau (1802–1876) was an English social theorist, journalist and writer, often regarded as one of the first women sociologists. Born in Norwich into a Unitarian family and deaf from her youth, she won fame with her Illustrations of Political Economy, stories that explained economic ideas to a broad public. After traveling in the United States she wrote Society in America and How to Observe Morals and Manners, a pioneering guide to social observation. She translated and condensed Auguste Comte's philosophy, wrote novels, histories and countless articles, and campaigned against slavery and for women's education.