On the intellectual horizons of social realism: a response to Barton

Abstract

This paper comments on the arguments made in ‘knowledge without disciplines: a critique of social realism’s disciplinary fixation’, authored by Keith Barton. It is suggested that Barton has not fully grasped how social realism views disciplines and curricula and that this reflects a wider tendency amongst commentators to overlook some of the thinking underpinning social realism. A different, more generous interpretation of social realism is outlined in respect of disciplinarity, the constitution of knowledge, the relationship between disciplines and subjects and the socio-epistemic formation that make knowledgeability possible. Social realism is seen as having already made a substantive impact, with the potential to further extend its intellectual horizons.