Bourdieu described 'autonomy' as the key principle underlying both fields and positions within fields. Bernstein described a series of binary ideal typical forms of knowledge structure ('singulars' / 'regions') and pedagogic identity that are underpinned by the principle of autonomy. This paper starts from Bourdieu's notion of fields (the central aspect of his framework) and articulates a conceptual development of his ideas that embrace more phenomena. For studies using these concepts see the Practice pages.
Maton, K. (2005) A question of autonomy: Bourdieu's field approach and policy in higher education, Journal of Education Policy 20(6): 687-704.
The paper introduces another dimension of LCT - Autonomy - by anchoring it in the theoretical approach of Pierre Bourdieu. It explores the concepts of 'field' and 'autonomy' for studying policy in higher education. It begins by showing how Bourdieu's 'field' approach enables higher education to be examined as a distinct and irreducible object of study. It then explores the value and limitations of this conceptualisation through analyses of policy during two contrasting moments of transition in the same field. First, the insights offered by a field approach are illustrated by analysing the new student debate over the creation of new universities in early 1960s English higher education. This shows how the field's relatively high autonomy shaped the focus and form of policy debates by refracting economic and political pressures into specifically educational issues. Second, considering contemporary changes in policy highlights how the erosion of the social compact underpinning higher education has increasingly fractured autonomy, necessitating development of Bourdieu's conceptualisation. A distinction between 'positional' and 'relational' dimensions of autonomy is introduced to capture an increasing disjuncture between the origins of actors running higher education and of the principles they are adopting, respectively. These concepts are utilised to illuminate the effects of current moves towards marketisation and managerialism in higher education on principles, practices and identities within the field.