The relationship between education and culture

Sociology of Education

Sociology of Education explores formation, education, teaching, upbringing and learning in relation to other parts of society and to radical social processes, such as globalisation and changes taking place in the world of work. A central problem area in the research into Sociology of Education conducted in the Department is the encounter between the different kinds of assets possessed by pupils, students and teachers and the prevailing order in the educational system. Another problem area is the growth and development of educational institutions and the relationship between education and other social fields, such as culture, economics or politics. As a discipline, Sociology of Education is based on more general traditions of research in social and historical sciences.

Most studies into the Sociology of Education are based on two perspectives. On the one hand we explore educational strategies, i.e. how individuals and groups with different kinds of assets use the educational system, and on the other we seek to understand how the social world looks within which these strategies develop, i.e. the field of educational institutions. This field does not comprise academic institutions, schools and educational directions per se, but the system of relationships between and among them, the positions they adopt in relation to one another and the history that has created those positions. One focus of particular interest is the relationship between what pupils, students and teachers have in their “baggage” (cultural capital and other assets) and the social and cultural order that prevails in the educational system. Yet another significant area of interest is the relationship between education and professional careers within distinct social fields such as economic, political or cultural ones. The majority of projects are based on a historical perspective.

Sociology of Education is headed by Mikael Börjesson, Ida Lidegran and Mikael Palme. Large parts of the research activity are carried on in association with the research group for Sociology of Education and Culture (SEC), Uppsala University.