Lon Gérin is a Canadian sociologist who was born in 1863 and died in 1951. Both his father and his grandfather had been interested in social studies. One of his father's works, Jean Rivard, is a novel which was written, as it seems, according to the monographic method of Le Play.

Gérin made his first studies in Ottawa, a bilingual city, and he soon mastered the two languages of the country. He went to college in Nicolet, in the Province of Quebec, where he pursued brilliant classical studies. He then studied law at L'Université de Montréal.

Like his father and mother, Gérin was interested in natural sciences. In 1885, after his law course, he went to Paris to attend lectures in natural sciences. While in Paris, he discovered, by chance, the School of "La Science Sociale" founded by Le Play, then being directed by Henri de Tourville. He lived in Paris only six months, but became well acquainted with the methods of "La Science Sociale." He met de Tourville and Edmond Demolins several times, and when he left for Canada, he promised his professors to contribute to their research by preparing monographs on his country.

Back in Canada, he decided to settle on a farm and took a civil service position to complement his earnings. He used to devote all his leisure time to social research on his milieu.

From 1898 to 1941, he was an active member of the Royal Society of Canada. He became President of the Society in 1933. He made several communications to the Society, some of which constitute important contributions to the social geography of Canada.

Gérin's writings

The bibliography of his writings contains more than 90 titles, mostly articles, some of them covering more than 60 pages. His articles were published in 25 different periodicals, in Canada, France, England, and the United States.

His most important studies appeared in La Science Sociale, of Paris, in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Canada, and in the Revue Trimestrielle Canadienne of Montreal.

Gérin's works can be divided into various categories : a) the social history of the French Colony in Canada ; b) monographs on the various social types of French Canada ; c) studies on the Indian societies ; d) research on education and culture in Canada ; e) literary and linguistic studies ; f) social biographies ; g) social controversy ; h) studies on agricultural problems ; i) works on methodology.

One can get a good idea of Gérin's works by consulting two books in which he has brought together some of his most significant studies : Le Type Economique et Social des Canadiens (1937), and Aux Sources de Notre Histoire (1946).

In his studies, Gérin followed first the methodology of de Tourville. He later (1909) adapted de Tourville's method to his own problems and devised a methodology of his own. The main lines of his method may be summarized as follows.

The object of social science

For Gérin, the object of sociology is the human group, "le groupement humain." He accepts substantially this definition given by de Tourville : "The object of social science is the conditions or laws of the various groups needed among men for most of their activities." But the main concept Gérin stresses is that of the group. "Social science," says Gérin, "is the science of human groups."

Method of research

The object of social science will determine the method to be followed in studying it. The method Gérin proposes rests on : a) direct observation, because the group is a concrete object to be studied with the same accuracy as the objects of physical and natural sciences ; b) monographic observation, because the human group is a very complex object which requires concentration on one type at a time ; observation should be "focused on one object, one real group, taken as a type, and from which the whole enquiry is made..." ; c) methodical observation, which means that the observation has to be guided. This guide is called the "Nomenclature." Gérin followed first the Nomenclature composed by de Tourville. De Tourville prepared his Nomenclature by coordinating and synthesizing the method of research followed implicitly by Le Play. The Nomenclature is an analytical index, a series of items to be covered by the sociologist in the preparation of a monograph. De Tourville's Nomenclature contains 25 major items to be studied : Place, Work, Property, Family, Direction of labor, Commerce, Intellectual culture, Religion, Village, City, etc.

Gérin finds fault with this Nomenclature because it is not centered on the main object of sociology : the group. "Since social science is the science of human groups, it would be logical that the Nomenclature be based on human groups..." Gérin prepares then his own Nomenclature, the main items of which will be the various human groups.

Gérin's Nomenclature

His Nomenclature contains six major parts :

The first part presents the groups which are to be retained and studied by the sociologist, that is, the groups which are observable and sufficiently consistent, "the specific groups," those which essentially constitute a society. Gérin gives a list of about fifteen of them : Family, Shop, Commerce, Parish, County, District, City, Province, State, Other Nations, etc.

The second part of the Nomenclature gives us an analytical key to study the group in itself : its Personnel, Function, Means of existence, Mode of existence, Phases of existence, Relations to other groups.

The third part presents a more detailed explanation of this key in order to apply it to the 15 groups. For instance, in studying the Mode of existence of the Family, the sociologist will observe its food, dwelling, clothes, hygiene, recreations.

The fourth part is a table which classifies the various groups according to private life and public life. Private life is subdivided into fundamental, auxiliary, and collective. Public life is broken into local, central, and exterior.

The fifth part is a general classification of the groups according to two main types : the "particularistic" and the "communitaristic" groups. A particularistic group is one in which the individual has been educated to conduct his own life freely, personally, and peacefully in the group, and who is able to exploit natural resources rationally. A particularist is a man inspired by personal initiative. A "communautaire" is one who depends closely on the group, because the group has not formed him to direct his life independently or to dominate nature.

The sixth part of the Nomenclature gives a series of items to be covered by the student who wants to find the degree of "particularism" or "communitarism" of any of the 15 groups.

Gérin's method was presented mainly to the Royal Society, in 1909, and to La Science Sociale, in 1912. Many other articles on methodology appeared in learned periodicals.

La Science Sociale of Paris published his best methodological study in a lengthy fascicule of 64 pages. This article was well received in Paris, especially by Philippe Champault, the writer of the School's official text-book. Champault wrote of Gérin : "He is the strongest champion of 'La Science Sociale' we have in the New World."

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In a general evaluation of Gérin's methodology, attention was drawn to a certain number of problems. The following points especially have been criticized and studied in the light of sociological theory.

a) With respect to Gérin's conception of the Group the following are pointed out : the limits of his "functional" approach ; his neglect of informal groups ; his neglect also of the sociocultural phenomena which, in a way, transcend the life of organic or "specific groups."

b) Among the "specific groups" Gérin has studied, much attention was paid by him to the family. Other groups were indeed studied, but the Nomenclature becomes less and less precise as the "groups" become larger and more complex, (City, Province, etc.).

c) Gérin, in fact, has avoided the pitfalls of a false sampling procedure in his monographic approach. This is due to his experience as an observer, and to the fact that he could easily single out "typical families" in a traditional and homogeneous milieu. His process has a certain analogy with the ethnological method, especially as regards the way of generalizing from a limited number of observations made in an undifferentiated social context. But Gérin's system of generalization would today be considered too intuitive to be applied safely to our complex social structures, even to our rural communities.

d) A theory of social change underlies Gérin's principles concerning the rôle of the Parliculariste and the Communautaire in the progress of societies. This theory, borrowed from the "École de Science Sociale," has the merit of "personalizing" social relations and social reforms, but it pays too little attention to the effects of collective action, to the consequences of institutional endeavours, to the pressure of organized activities (v.g. labor unions, political parties, interest groups, etc.).

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In the conclusion, hope is expressed that Gérin's works will be more widely studied by our historians and social scientists. His first-hand observations are of invaluable interest to the modem sociologist studying the evolution of our Canadian society.

Gérin's writings are not too well known in Canada. This is, due to the fact that his studies were published in very specialized reviews which are not easy to find in the ordinary library. It is to be hoped that the near future will see the numerous articles of Léon Gérin made available in a complete edition of his works.

Gérin, who was never connected with any university, has been highly regarded by social scientists from L'Université de Montréal and L'Université Laval of Quebec, such as E. Montpetit and J.-C. Falardeau.

His studies represent one of the very few re-interpretations, on this continent, of the "Science Sociale." By the variety, the length and the originality of his works, Léon Gérin will remain as one of the leading names in the early history of Canadian sociology.