Social Theory and Education Research Understanding Foucault, Habermas, Bourdieu and Derrida

Abstract

For education researchers wishing to have a deep vision, social theory is a prolific source. Although they have benefitted from the work of a large number of theorists in this field, Jacques Derrida, Pierre Bourdieu, Michel Foucault and Jurgen Habermas are more influential in shaping contemporary education theories. The effect of these theorists stems from their authentic works, applicable to education studies. However, education researchers face a challenge, a lack of suitable reading material that can provide a sufficiently indepth overview of this quartet of theorists. Therefore, there is strong need for a suitable guide to education researchers / practitioners to assist their acquisiton and application of social theory.