Report on Super Writer meeting - June 9th 2009

Topic: The sociology of education & Pierre Bourdieu

By Aditi

Present: Darren, Emily, Issa, Jae, Manla, Nicol, Shelly, Wang Ge, Lucia (via Skype)

Chair/reporter: Issa

Recording: Nicol

After our regular reflection and report on our own progress of writing in the past weekend, Aditi brought sociological perspective on education by introducing the key concepts of Bourdieu.

With the detailed handout as circulated via email, Aditi first introduced two main sociological perspectives(the functional and conflict perspectives) and their impact on education. She continued to talk about Bourdieu's key concepts: social reproduction, Habitus, Field, Capital, and Symbolic violence.

Our heated discussion focused mainly on 1) the application of Bourdieu's concepts in understanding education, 2) the relation between structure(reproduction) and agency(mobility), 3) limitations of Bourdieu's concepts, 4) how to achieve social change and educational change, 5) issues like reflexivity, agency, reality and perceived reality, labelling, role of teachers in the educational structure, space, illiteracy, etc. Samples were given by participants to further discuss the above issues, such as educational innovation in HK, how a particular discussion topic in classroom was shaped by class, social and cultural capital, etc.

I have noted down only a few sentences for sharing, as I was busy keeping connecting Lucia via skype and joining the heated discussion. Other participants are welcome to add more:

1) Bourdieu's wanted to bridge the structure and agency through reflexivity, but he didn't talk much about how to achieve social change through reflexivity. People criticises his model of reflexivity is weak. He is contradictory himself.

2) Reflexivity alone can't solve the problem. ...  To bridge subjectivity and objectivity, you have to touch objectivity itself. You have to change the society. You can not just solve the problem by changing yourself, thinking reflexively. ... 

3) Schooling and education are very different. ... It is important to ask who set the standards, what is successful, etc. If these questions are not asked, a lot of students just fail through schooling system.

4) Reflexivity is hard to achieve. ... I think you have to learn how to be reflexive.  

I add Lucia's comment in skype below as bonus:

Lucia: Maybe the concept of education Nicol and Aditi talking about is different, Aditi focus on the idealist side of education, and Nicol more focus on the actual situation of education.

Next Thursday (June 18) at 12pm, Aditi will continue to talk how to use Bourdieu's concepts in educational research by introducing her own research design.  

Looking forward to that.

Issa

P.S. Further reference:

Walter Benjamin and his famous writing in "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Benjamin#Further_reading

Adler, N. J., & Harzing, A.-W. (2009). When Knowledge Wins: Transcending the Sense and Nonsense of Academic Rankings. The Academy of Management Learning and Education (AMLE), 8(1), 72-95.

Bourdieu, P. (1996). The rules of art : genesis and structure of the literary field. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press.

Bourdieu, P., & Johnson, R. (1993). The field of cultural production : essays on art and literature. Cambridge: Polity Press.

  

Foucault

Next Friday, Cheri will conduct guided reading on Foucault entitled with 'Undressing Foucault', with pre-reading material 'why study power: the question of the subject'.

Here are some references about Foucault for your interest:

Websites:
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/foucault/
http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-fouc.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Foucault
http://www.michel-foucault.com/concepts/index.html

Books & journal articles:
Alan Danaher, P., & Radcliffe Danaher, G. (2000). "Power/knowledge" and the educational experiences and expectations of Australian show people. International Journal of Educational Research, 33(3), 309-318.
Andrzejewski, C. E., & Davis, H. A. (2008). Human contact in the classroom: Exploring how teachers talk about and negotiate touching students. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(3), 779-794.
Carabine, J. (2001). Unmarried motherhood 1830-1990: a genealogical analysis. In M. Wetherell, S. Taylor & S. Yates (Eds.), Discourse as data: A guide for analysis (pp. 267-310). London: SAGE Publicaitons Ltd.
Chapman, V. L. (2003). 'Knowing one’s self': selfwriting, power and ethical practice. Studies in the Education of Adults, 35(1), 35-53.
Clarke, M. (2008). The ethico-politics of teacher identity. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 9999(9999).
Foucault, M. (1971). The archaeology of knowledge and the discourse on language (A. M. S. Smith, Trans.). New York: Pantheon.
Foucault, M. (1972). The archaeology of knowledge. London: Tavistock.
Foucault, M. (1977). Discipline and punish. London: Penguin.
Foucault, M. (1978). The history of sexuality. Vol 1: An introduction (R. Hurley, Trans.). New York: Pantheon Books.
Foucault, M. (1980). Power/knowledge. Brighton: Harvester.
Foucault, M. (1985). The use of pleasure: History of sexuality, Vol. 2 (R. Hurley, Trans.). New York: Pantheon Books.
Foucault, M. (1994). The subject and power (R. Hurley, P. Rabinow & C. Gordon, Trans.). In J. D. Faubion (Ed.), Power: Essential works of Michel Foucault, 1954-1984, Vol. 3 (pp. 326-333). London: Penguin.
Foucault, M. (1997a). Ethics, subjectivity and truth. In P. Rabinow (Ed.), Essential works of Michel Foucault, 1954-1984 (Vol. 1). New York: The New Press.
Foucault, M. (1997b). The ethics of the concern of the self. In P. Rabinow (Ed.), Ethics, subjectivity and truth: Essential works of Michel Foucault, 1954-1984 (Vol. 1, pp. 281-302). New York: The New Press.
Foucault, M. (1997c). What is enlightenment? In P. Rabinow (Ed.), Ethics, subjectivity and truth: Essential works of Michel Foucault, 1954-1984 (Vol. 1, pp. 303-320). New York: The New Press.
Fox, S. (2000). Communities of practice, Foucault and Actor-Network therory. Journal of Management Studies, 37(6), 853-868.
Greenwalt, K. A. (2008). Through the camera's eye: A phenomenological analysis of teacher subjectivity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(2), 387-399.
May, T. (2006). The philosophy of Foucault. Chesham, Bucks: Acumen.
Peters, M. A. (2004). Educational research:‘games of truth’and the ethics of subjectivity. Journal of Educational Enquiry, 5(2), 50-63.
Walshaw, M. (2007). Working with Foucault in Education. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.

You are welcome to pose questions, comments and other resources about Foucault.

Issa