La Signification des theories de la reproduction socio-culturelle

In: International social science journal: ISSJ, Band 38, Heft 4, S. 619-629

Abstract

An attempt to clarify misunderstandings caused by Marxist & functionalist interpretations of the sociological theories expressed in Jean-Claude Passeron's & Pierre Bourdieu's La Reproduction: elements pour une theorie du systeme d'enseignement ([Reproduction: Elements of a Theory of the Educational System], Paris: Minuit, 1971; English translation, London/Beverly Hills: Sage, 1977). It is argued that most models of sociocultural reproduction are limited to the description of observable & measurable phenomena, serving only a heuristic & systematic function that never permits adequate description of historical changes or logical explanations of the transformations of social systems or subsystems. The Hegelian concept of "internal contradiction" & Weberian notion of "routinization" are discussed in relation to Karl Marx's model of the mode of capitalist production. The contribution of diverse theoretical constructions of sociologists & historians for shedding light on the epistemological presuppositions of such reproduction theories are explored. A framework by which to analyze cultural or social systems of reproduction is offered, & comparisons are made to the models of scholarly autoreproduction & intergenerational reproduction of collective inequalities. Particular attention is devoted to the educational system. It is cautioned that models of sociocultural reproduction cannot be viewed as global models of society, nor as laws or tendencies that govern the order of history. Modified AA