Eilert Sundt

Eilert Lund Sundt (1817 to 1875) was a Norwegian theologist and sociologist, known for his studies of morality, marriage and other conditions of working-class life, and an early pioneer of sociology in Norway. Born in Farsund, the son of a ship captain in a family of thirteen children, he grew up among seamen and small traders, which gave him his first view of poverty, overpopulation and the shift from farm culture to industry. He studied in Kristiania, became a close friend of the poet Henrik Wergeland, and edited the journal Folkevennen from 1857 to 1866. His interests ranged across prison conditions, the customs and treatment of the travelling population, causes of death, prostitution, suicide, fishery and forestry workers, building customs and the dialects of Norwegian. Two of his works were chosen for the Norwegian Sociology Canon in 2009 to 2011. He served as parish priest at Eidsvoll from 1869 until his death there in 1875. His record is also debated: he advocated harsh policies toward the travelling population, and the University of Oslo social sciences building that bears his name has drawn objections from the Traveller community.