Las teorías de la Sociología de la Educación en Francia

Abstract

This communication looks at the evolution of the Sociology of Education in France since Emile Durkheim (L'education morale, Education et Sociologie and L'evolution pedagogique en France) until Francois Dubet (A l'ecole. Sociologie de l'experience scolaire). Throughout his long and rich history, the French Sociology of Education has experienced three essential periods. The first, which runs from the beginning of the twentieth century to the early 1960s, is dominated by the ideological opposition between functionalism and Marxism that despite their differences, share a common representation of the education which prevails system, continuity and integration. The second phase starts with a new interpretation which seeks, first, involve the contributions of Marxism and structuralism with a new reading of the classics and, moreover, make an effort to highlight the importance of the actor, its rationality and change. Discussions facing Pierre Bourdieu, a supporter of the theory of reproduction and creator of new concepts such as ethos, the habitus, field and social capital, and Raymond Boudon, founder of methodological individualism that emphasizes the centrality of the strategies developed by actors within their means and opportunities present. The third period begins in 1990, and is characterized by the willingness of several authors, among them Francois Dubet, to recompose the Sociology of Education around new concepts like the school experience. Try to link the macro and microsociological levels, combining an analysis of the changing educational system with a psychosociological study of how the educational community (students, teachers and parents) are living this situation and address the specific issues raised by such change.