Professor Parlo Singh, a GIER expert in the field of Sociology of Education, has edited a new book titled: Basil Bernstein, Code Theory, and Education: Women’s Contributions. This 128-page, 7 chapter collection, addresses the complexities of using Bernstein’s ideas in empirical work.
Basil Bernstein, a British sociologist with a career spanning forty years, “produced theoretical models about the workings of educational systems, and how these systems produce social relations of inequality” said Professor Singh.
“How educational policies are enacted through the three message systems of curriculum, pedagogy and evaluation in primary schools serving high poverty communities”, she added.
Professor Singh worked with Basil Bernstein from 1989 to 2000, considered to be a radical scholar by some who suggest that his theories encourage a deficit views of those living in poverty, a controversy that Bernstein vehemently challenged throughout his career. His latter work refined and extended his ideas, particularly around pedagogic discourse and identity.
Professor Singh said,
“The past decade has witnessed a revival of interest in Bernstein’s theoretical ideas across fields as diverse as policy studies, sociology of education, curriculum and pedagogy studies, anthropology, linguistics, and social and cultural psychology. This book contributes to the revival of Bernstein’s work by examining specifically some women’s contribution to this theoretical corpus.”
The edited collection is available through Routledge.
