Two Countries, Two Sociologies of Education: A Comparison of British and American Journal Articles

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session One
  In Roundtable Session: Sociology of Education SIG Roundtables: From Micro to Macro (Table 18)

Abstract

This paper explores differences in the field of the sociology of education in the UK and the USA. Through an analysis of 2000 articles published in the British Journal of Sociology of Education and its US equivalent Sociology of Education over the last forty years, it is clear that the two countries draw on contrasting traditions in their analyses of social inequalities. In the USA, the ‘political arithmetic’ tradition is dominant, whilst in the UK, it is the more recent ‘cultural turn’ which dominates. In addition to accounting for this divergence, the paper identifies the strengths and weaknesses of these two approaches and their implications for the development of a cumulative evidence base to address social inequalities in education.

Authors

• Sally Anne Power, Cardiff University
  Presenting Author

• Gareth Rees, Cardiff University School of Social Sciences
  Non-Presenting Author