Education and Society

This new book is a lively and highly accessible introduction to the
sociology of education. Written in a clear and comprehensible way,
it introduces students to the key theoretical perspectives and
conceptual frameworks in the sociology of education, and provides a
guide to contemporary issues and current debates.

The book reviews the ways in which sociology contributes to our
understanding of the relationship between education and society.
The sociology of education is treated in historical depth, dealing
with the classic thinkers as well as with contemporary approaches
and issues. In doing so, it critically engages with wider debates
in social theory. There is an extensive treatment of Durkheim and
of the work of Bourdieu and Bernstein, as well as discussion of
post-modernism drawing upon recent ideas in epistemology and
philosophy of science to address the question: What should we
teach? The book covers the macro relationships between education
and the economy and state and the micro processes of the classroom
and school. A central concern is with inequalities of class, gender
and race and their treatment by different sociological
perspectives.

Education and Society will be an essential text for
students of sociology and education.