Bourdieu as education policy analyst and expert: a rich but ambiguous legacy
Abstract
This article focuses on Bourdieu’s contribution to the analysis and transformation of the field of
education. It shows that, when closely examined, Bourdieu’s writings on education reveal not only
one but at least three competitive or complementary policy theories. There is a common principle
to all of them, that is the invisibility of policy, which is embedded in the cognitive classifications and
everyday activity of institutions. Nevertheless, while the first theory is strongly deterministic, the
other two leave some room for political and pedagogical action. This article also shows that
Bourdieu has exerted an important influence, both directly and indirectly, on collective representations
and collective dynamics of educational politics and policy in France. This influence has lasted
despite the extremely varied positions he took throughout his life and work on the relation between
science and politics from strong reluctance to commit himself at the beginning of his career to
academic radicalism at the end.
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