1. This chapter incorporates elements from two papers published previously: Harker, 1984, 1984a.
2. These dates are misleading and show the date of translation rather than their original publication date in French, the latest of which was 1970. The original sources of some of the ideas found in the books on education are to be found in the pages of Actes de la recherche en sciences sociales, and other journals — see, for example, Bourdieu 1967. In Actes the following show his continued interest in education: 1975/02:95–107 (with Luc Boltanski), ‘Le titre et le poste: rapports entre le système de production et le système de reproduction’; 1975/3:68–93 (with Monique de St Martin), ‘Les catégories de l‘entendement professoral’; 1978/24:2–24, ‘Classement, dèclassement, reclassement’; 1981/39, ‘Epreuve scolaire et consècration sociale. Les classes preparatoires aux Grandes ècoles’; 1984/52–53:95–100, Le hit—parade des intellectuels francais ou qui sera juge de la lègitimitè des juges?’ A full issue was devoted to the issue of education and philosophy (47/48, Juin 1983), and educational matters are covered by Bourdieu and his colleagues in most issues. For other special issues devoted to education, see 1979/30 ‘L’Institution scolaire’; 1981/39 ‘Grandes et petites ècoles’; 1982/42 ‘Classements scolaires et classement social’; 1987/69 ‘Pouvoirs dècole, I’; and 1987/70 ‘Pouvoirs dèecole, II’. A well-known report written by Bourdieu for the Collège de France was issued to President Mitterrand in March 1985 (Bourdieu, 1985a). Further, Bourdieu and Monique de St Martin recently completed a report on transitions in the educational system, ‘Structures objectives et reprèsentations subjectives du champ des institutions d’enseignement supèrieur’, Juin 1986, Écoles des hautes ètudes en sciences sociales. A large study of higher education, of which this report is a small part, has now been published (Bourdieu, Fr. ed. 1989).
3. This argument provides a parallel to that of Gramsci, who suggests that before even entering the classroom, a child from a traditionally intellectual family ... has numerous advantages over his comrades, and is already in possession of attitudes learnt from
4. In addition to education, this proposition is explored in relation to language and linguistic exchanges (1977b); art and other aesthetic products (symbolic goods) (1968, 1971, 1980, 1980a, 1983); sport (1978); and to French society (1984).
5. This is borne out by research conducted in a New Zealand comprehensive high school into the subject option choices made by 298 Third Form pupils (Harker 1975). The pupils were assigned to one of four categories, depending on their father’s occupation, and had the choice of four subject ‘streams’ — Latin, French, Bookkeeping or Modern (woodwork — metalwork for boys, typing/home science for girls). The results are shown in Table 1 for the group as a whole, and in Table 2 for all those pupils whose IQ scores fell between 95 and 105 — an average group. The striking retention of the pattern of option choice when controlling for academic aptitude fairly clearly indicates a different pattern of expectations on the part of the pupils and their families.