ABSTRACT
This article scrutinizes the part which social histories can play in studying the curriculum. 1 The introduction briefly examines the use (misuse or non-use) of historical evidence in some theoretical work. Then by drawing on parts of historical studies, seeks to show, albeit in a limited way, how such work allows hypotheses to be examined and reformulated. By this view, a ‘sequence to theory’ emerges from historical work which not only extends the range of our studies but which, by posing questions about our current theories, can aid in generating new theories and agendas.
