International Comparisons in Learning and Education

“This book is a pivotal contribution to the interdisciplinary fields of sociology and education. By weaving Norbert Elias's processual sociology into the fabric of childhood and educational practices, Norman Gabriel and his colleagues not only pay homage to Elias’s underexplored contributions but also embark on a novel academic venture that is both profound and enlightening.” —Eric Lybeck, Senior Lecturer, Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, UK This edited volume addresses the important role of education in society through the lens of theoretical concepts developed by Norbert Elias. This book sets out to challenge dominant perspectives within the sociology of education by reorientating traditional debates about socialisation, childhood, early years education, care, schooling and the curriculum, focusing on the relational learning processes that lie at the heart of pedagogic relationships between parents, teachers, children and peers. It also offers an innovative perspective on some of the key debates in childhood studies, bringing together and relating the different aspects of childhood through a generational lens. Authors from different countries follow young children as they grow up and learn how to become civilized in institutions in contemporary society, discussing how from one generation to the next they learn from adults and their peers an enormous social fund of knowledge about their world. Norman Gabriel is Senior Lecturer in Childhood Studies, Department of Psychosocial and Psychoanalytic Studies, University of Essex, United Kingdom.