Language, Structure and Reproduction: An Introduction to the Sociology of Basil Bernstein

by Paul Atkinson

Basil Bernstein is one of the most influential British sociologists, yet his work is widely misunderstood and misinterpreted. Contentious debates over his theories of language have often obscured the underlying themes and continuities in Bernstein's sociological inspiration. First published in 2004, this book redresses the balance. Rather than reviewing the sociolinguistic work by Bernstein and his collaborators, it portrays Bernstein as a sociologist in the Durkheimian tradition. It is argued that Bernstein, as a structuralist, uses his theory of 'codes' as a representation of the symbolic forms of power and the social division of labour.
This book would be of importance to those interested in the sociology of education, language and society, anthropological linguistics and communication studies.

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 1985