ABSTRACT
If not for academic convention, this chapter would be entitled ‘sociologies of education’, as we are not here concerned with a single approach or interpretation. The sociology of education comprises numerous theories and perspectives, supported by an ever-widening range of research methodologies, which seek to understand and explain education within social and/or personal contexts. A historical account of the nature and development of these would not be particularly illuminating as differing and often conflicting insights often arise contemporaneously, while a list of key concepts and terms without appropriate theoretical contexts would limit the reader’s understanding of them and of their interrelationship.
