Reflections on social exclusion

Abstract

This article reflects on some of the inclusionary and exclusionary practices of British sociologists of education over the past 30 years, with specific examples relating to gender and internal colonialism. The article opens by revisiting Young's distinction between making and taking problems, illustrated with a current problem taken by many sociologists. It then outlines two grand narratives in British sociology of education, each of which operates as a powerful exclusionary mechanism in the discipline. Then three different operationalisations of the exclusionary agenda are explored. The article concludes by highlighting the exclusionary tendencies of British sociology towards the sociology of education. © 2001, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.