Born in 1884 and died in 1940 sociologist, ethnologist and sinologist, was one of the first to introduce the sociological method in studies dedicated to Chinese civilization. He entered the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris in 1904 The young Granet, who had joined the group of the followers of Émile Durkheim, took advantage of his stay in the Thiers Foundation from 1908 to 1911, to begin in the Chinese under the tutelage of Édouard Chavannes, then accepting a scientific mission in Beijing.

In 1913, after returning from China, he replaced Chavannes as director of studies for the religions of the Far East (Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes). From 1922 his work is Chinese religion. From 1926 he helped found the Institut des Hautes Études Chinoises, being its administrator and lecturing Chinese and Chinese civilization. Among his vast work stands apart from Chinese Thought (1934), older titles like Dances and legends of ancient China (1926), Chinese civilization (1929) and Chinese feudalism (1952).