Britton and bernstein on vygotsky: Divergent views on mind and language in the pedagogic context

Abstract

In recent influential work in language and social cognition relevant to pedagogical contexts, references to Basil Bernstein's work are notably absent, despite renewed recognition of the significance of his continued contribution to theories of classroom practices, sociolinguistics and the sociology of education. This article discusses several historical and ideological factors that have contributed to this lacuna. It reconsiders the organisation of the intellectual field of English education in Britain during the 1970s within which Bernstein's theorising about language took place. Within that field, it pays particular attention to the divergent readings of Vygotsky by James Britton and Bernstein with respect to power and the discursive regulation of ‘legitimate’ meanings in the pedagogic context. Finally, it considers the relevance in the post-Vygotskian field of social cognition of Bernstein's early attention to the relationship between social/institutional factors and individual functioning. © 2002 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.