Critique and Utopia: New Developments in The Sociology of Education in the Twenty-First Century

by Carlos Alberto Torres director, Paulo Freire Institute, UCLA (Editor), Antonio Teodoro (Editor)

Overview

Critique and utopia are two of the central concepts of the sociology of education, and they indeed exemplify the critical traditions in the sociology of education as a discipline. This book analyzes, using theoretical frameworks and empirical data, the state of the art of the sociology of education at the beginning of the century, offering a systematic criticism of the dominant theories, and findings in the sociology of education. Key chapters focus on theoreticians who have made an impact in the discipline, including Basil Bernstein, Pierre Bourdieu, Paulo Freire. Yet, there is much more than theoretical analysis in this book. It also offers insights for policy and practice in diverse areas of education, including the formal, nonformal, and informal modalities of educational praxis.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780742575806
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	04/16/2007
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	967 KB

About the Author

Carlos Alberto Torres is professor of social sciences and comparative education and director of Paulo Freire Institute, University of California, Los Angeles. He is also past president of the Comparative International Education Society and past president of the Research Committee of Sociology of Education, International Sociological Association. Antonio Teodoro is a professor at Universidade Lus-fona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisbon, Portugal and vice president of the Research Committee of Sociology of Education, International Sociological Association.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction: Critique and Utopia in the Sociology of Education
Chapter 2
Chapter I: Sociology of Education: New Perspectives and Debates in the Twenty-First Century
Chapter 3 Schooling for Critical Education: The Reinvention of Schools as Democratic Organizations
Chapter 4 Globalization and the Rescaling of Educational Governance: A Case of Sociological Ectopia
Chapter 5 Human Rights and Citizenship: The Emergence of Human Rights Education
Chapter 6 Europe as a Bazaar: A Contribution to the Analysis of the Reconfiguration of Nation-states and New Forms of 'Living Together'
Chapter 7 Educational Policies and the Sense of Possibility: A Contribution to Democratic Education in a Progressive Age
Chapter 8 Rescuing Education from Corporate Takeover: from 'Public Choice' to Public Action
Chapter 9
Chapter II: Theoretical Resources for the Sociology of Education
Chapter 10 Basil Bernstein and the Sociology for Education
Chapter 11 Sociology of Education or the Education of Sociology? Paulo Freire and the Sociology of Education
Chapter 12 Bourdieu's Sociology of Education: Identifying Persistent Inequality, Unmasking Domination and Fighting Social Reproduction
Chapter 13 Paulo Freire, Education and Transformative Social Justice Learning

Editorial Reviews

This set of essays by prominent international scholars provides exciting new perspectives on the challenges facing education systems in a period of intensified globalization. Moving beyond penetrating critiques of the role national school systems play in maintaining inequitable social structures, the authors offer alternative visions of a liberating education that will lead to more just and democratic societies. The section on theoretical frameworks introduces fresh insights on the scholarly contributions of Basil Bernstein, Pierre Bourdieu, and Paulo Freire to a transformative education. Critique and Utopia will be of particular interest to students in the sociology of education, comparative and international education, and policy studies.

Robert F. Arnove

This book provides a significant contribution to the sociology of education. Bringing together current academic debates in Europe and the Americas, the volume connects theoretical debates with empirical data, and a critical analysis of our existing social reality with a language of possibility and transformation. Critique and Utopia: New Developments in the Sociology of Education in the Twenty First Century is an important reading for all those interested in the role that education plays - and could play - in the struggles for democracy in the current context of neoliberal globalization and beyond.

Daniel Schugurensky

This book provides a significant contribution to the sociology of education. Bringing together current academic debates in Europe and the Americas, the volume connects theoretical debates with empirical data, and a critical analysis of our existing social reality with a language of possibility and transformation. Critique and Utopia: New Developments in the Sociology of Education in the Twenty First Century is an important reading for all those interested in the role that education plays - and could play - in the struggles for democracy in the current context of neoliberal globalization and beyond.

This set of essays by prominent international scholars provides exciting new perspectives on the challenges facing education systems in a period of intensified globalization. Moving beyond penetrating critiques of the role national school systems play in maintaining inequitable social structures, the authors offer alternative visions of a liberating education that will lead to more just and democratic societies. The section on theoretical frameworks introduces fresh insights on the scholarly contributions of Basil Bernstein, Pierre Bourdieu, and Paulo Freire to a transformative education. Critique and Utopia will be of particular interest to students in the sociology of education, comparative and international education, and policy studies.

From the Publisher