ABSTRACT

Sociologistsaretrainedtofocusongroupmembership,anditsimplicationsbothforindividualbiographyandforthestructureofsociety.Yetin sodoing,theytypicallyslightoneofthecentralmechanismsbywhich groupmembershipaffectsindividuallifechances:differentialskillacquisitionacrosssocialgroups.Inthissectionwereviewwhathasbeendone inanascentfield,whichmightbecalledthesociologyofbasicskillsacquisition.Thisbeginsthetaskofprovidinganinterpretiveframeworkforthe empiricalresultsprovidedinthischapter.