Bringing Knowledge Back In

Michael F.D. Young

From social contructivism to social realism in the sociology of education.

This book tackles some of the most important educational questions of the day…
It is rare to find a book on education which is theoretically sophisticated and practically relevant: this book is’ From the Foreword by Hugh Lauder

What is it in the twenty-first century that we want young people, and adults returning to study, to know? What is it about the kind of knowledge that people can acquire at school, college or university that distinguishes it from the knowledge that people acquire in their everyday lives, at work, and in their families?

Bringing Knowledge Back In draws on recent developments in the sociology of knowledge to propose answers to these key, but often overlooked, educational questions, Michael Young traces the changes in his own thinking about the question of knowledge in education, since his first book Knowledge and Control, published in 1971 and The Curriculum of the Future (Falmer Press, 1998). This rethinking partly reflects his own experience as a policy analyst and advisor in the UK, South Africa and a number of other countries. He argues for the continuing relevance of the writings of Durkheim and Vygotsky and the unique importance of Basil Bernstein’s often under-appreciated work. He illustrates the importance of questions about knowledge by investigating the dilemmas faced by researchers and policy makers in a range of fields; these include the integration of academic and vocational learning, the role of qualifications in educational reform, professional and vocational education, curriculum theory, and the assessment of experiential learning. He also considers the broader issue of the role of sociologists in relation to educational policy in the context of increasingly interventionist governments. The book:

●provides conceptual tools for people to think and debate about knowledge and
education in new ways
●provides clear expositions of difficult ideas at the interface of epistemology and
the sociology of knowledge:
●makes explicit links between theoretical issues and practical /policy questions;
●offers a clear focus for the future development of the sociology of education as
a key field within educational studies.

This compelling and provocative book will be essential reading for anyone involved in research and debates about the curriculum as well as those with a specific interest in the sociology of education.