A singular history? The development of German perspectives on the social analysis of education

Few accounts of how sociology of education as a specialist sub-discipline has developed in other parts of Europe are available in the English-language professional literature, but these may be helpful not only as information in itself but also as a stimulus to critical reflection upon the history and contemporary positioning of the field in Britain. In this paper, sociology of education in the Federal Republic of Germany offers an exemplar for the potential insights that may be gained from such accounts. A 'natural history' of the emergence of the field is used to explore three topics: relationships between sociology and education as disciplines of knowledge; images of sociology of education as a force for social and political progress; and the question of schooling as the core thematic focus of the field. Notable differences between German and British sociology of education are clarified in this process, but equally questions are raised about the taken-for-granted in professional self-image.