Basil Bernstein and the Sociology of Education

Abstract

This theoretical article aims to describe the internal disorder within the Sociology of Education since 1970 and to indicate the extent to which Bernstein’s work moved in the opposite direction of that disorder. It is argued that Bernstein’s work, both theoretically and methodologically, is characterized by strong conceptualization, a high level of abstraction, and the capacity to describe and explain empirical objects, aligning more closely with strong grammar and vertical knowledge structures. With this argument, the article seeks to demonstrate the uniqueness and relevance of Bernstein’s work, to question epistemological relativism, and to engage with the most recent book by Stephen J. Ball and Jordi Collet-Sabé.