Contemporary Debates in the Sociology of Education: An Introduction

Abstract

Education currently assumes a central role in the politics and policies of many countries across the world. Indeed, despite the recent global economic crisis, it is significant that the latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) annual report indicates that, of 31 industrialised countries with comparable data, only seven reduced spending on education as a response to the onset of recession (OECD, 2012). Moreover, in all but one of these seven countries, the actual share of national income spent on education grew — as a result of gross domestic product falling faster than educational spending (ibid.). In part, this can be explained by the assumptions made by policymakers — within governments of various different political persuasions — that education plays a critical role in preparing citizens for participation in the `knowledge economy' and thus investment in education is essential for ensuring national competitiveness in an increasingly globalised market. The sociology of education offers an important critical lens through which to view such developments, allowing scholars to relate them to wider processes of social change beyond a narrow politics of economics. The aim of Contemporary Debates in the Sociology of Education is to bring together contributions from researchers across the world to demonstrate how such a critical lens can be applied to different stages of education: from compulsory schooling through to higher education and learning within the workplace, and to various cross-cutting themes, such as the use of new technologies in education and the role of international organisations in policymaking.