ABSTRACT
Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) comprises more than this book. There is more to Specialization and Semantics than has yet been discussed here; there are other dimensions of LCT being enacted in major research projects; and there are further dimensions to uncover. Where, then, should the relative newcomer to LCT begin? The obvious starting point is Knowledge and Knowers (Maton 2014b), which introduces and exemplifies concepts from the two dimensions enacted in the current volume, augmented by a paper on ‘semantic waves’ (Maton 2013) and one discussing the analytic methodology of ‘semantic profiles’ and work using ‘semantic codes’ (Maton 2014a). Knowledge and Knowers supersedes many previously published papers (Maton 2000a, 2000b, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011; Moore and Maton 2001) that were substantially, if not wholly revised and augmented through relations with new concepts. Another way into the framework is a series of talks. Though dated, not ‘pedagogized’, and not designed for distribution, scholars describe listening to extra-curricular lectures given in 2011 as useful accompaniment to reading Knowledge and Knowers. They are available on the LCT website (see below). LCT is relatively young and so explicitly pedagogic introductions are as yet few. The ‘Education and knowledge’ chapter of the undergraduate textbook Sociology: Themes and perspectives (Van Krieken et al. 2014) provides a useful introduction to LCT after discussions of Pierre Bourdieu and Basil Bernstein. More pedagogic introductions should be available in future. LCT is a field activity. The core corpus of publications given above is dwarfed by a greater number of papers enacting the framework in research into an ever-widening diversity of topics and issues. Thanks to the collegial spirit of the LCT community, much of this work (including doctoral theses) can be discovered via the website: www.legitimationcodetheory.com. Papers enacting the concepts in research are an invaluable way into the framework – they often engage more directly with one’s area of substantive study. However, they should represent a starting point rather than the sum of engagement with LCT. There is no guarantee that an empirical study
defines or enacts concepts appropriately (even where quoting definitions), for no framework is always and everywhere fully understood by all proponents. Thus, I strongly encourage scholars to read the core corpus of book and articles (mentioned above). One’s reading of a theory should not be solely second-hand. It is also invaluable to engage with empirical studies beyond one’s substantive topic. Such reading will triangulate understanding of concepts and ensure one’s vision does not remain too locked into a specific context. Thanks to the flexibility of LCT concepts, much can be learned from studies even where their focus is very different to one’s own. LCT forms the basis for a community of scholarly and pedagogic practitioners. The website provides a hub for discovering their activities and provides links to:
• an email forum in which scholars and students can engage in friendly and informal discussion; and
• social media sites (e.g. Facebook and Twitter) with news of lectures, events, papers, PhDs, etc.
