Quantifying Bourdieu in Educational Research: Traditions, Innovations, and a Reflexive Invitation

by Guanglun Michael Mu

Overview

This book revolves around the rationale, urgency, and application of quantifying Bourdieu in educational research. It begins with a succinct revisit to Bourdieu’s methodological pluralism and quantitative program, and a critical review of existing but limited Bourdieusian quantitative educational studies, establishing the theoretical, methodological, and contextual foundations for empirical applications of quantitative methodology in Bourdieusian educational research. The book then presents three examples of such empirical applications as individual chapters, utilising multiple correspondence analysis and social network analysis. These chapters respectively examine social class and educational mobility, teacher resilience and teacher education, and social grouping and social change. The book concludes with a proposal to mobilise a range of 'relational' quantitative methodologies – including factor analysis, cluster analysis, logistic regression, multilevel modelling, and cross-lagged panel model – within a Bourdieusian remit, and extends a reflexive invitation to quantify Bourdieu in educational research.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789819621316
Publisher:	Springer Nature Singapore
Publication date:	04/10/2025
Series:	SpringerBriefs in Education
Pages:	124
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Guanglun Michael Mu is a sociologist of education with expertise in Bourdieu’s sociology and quantitative methodology. Michael is a prolific writer with over 100 scholarly publications, including 11 books. Michael’s work grapples with building resilience in (im)migration and multicultural contexts and international student mobility in volatile pollical contexts.

Table of Contents

Reengaging quantitative inquiry in Bourdieusian sociology of education.- A longitudinal study of class relations in Australia.- Groupings between floating children and urban children.- A Bourdieusian social network analysis of teacher resilience in the context of the Chinese Teaching and Research System.- Quantifying Bourdieu.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

This book is a welcome wake-up call for sociologists of education inspired by Bourdieu. Not only does it amply demonstrate the power of quantitative methods, hitherto undeservedly neglected, for unveiling structures of difference and domination in education, but it also goes beyond Bourdieu’s own repertoire to convincingly make the case for using a plurality of statistical methods old and new. Brimming with substantive insights into educational processes in Australia and China, Mu’s text is a must read for quantitative and qualitative researchers of education seeking to widen their methodological horizons.
Will Atkinson, University of Bristol

This important book is essential reading not only for those interested in Bourdieu but sociological theory and method more broadly. It provides a rich and accessible range of methodological toolkits and conceptual resources for understanding education and wider society, at the same time as it redresses what it terms ‘the quantitative thinness of Bourdieusian theory of education’. However, Quantifying Bourdieu is much more than a methods book. It also demonstrates through drawing on a variety of empirical data how to build a better education and fairer society.
Diane Reay, University of Cambridge

Mu’s Quantifying Bourdieu in Educational Research brilliantly addresses the neglect in Bourdieusian sociology of education of the French scholar’s quantitative methodological contributions, while at the same time extending possibilities of other quantitative approaches, including social network analysis, a methodology rejected by Bourdieu. Additionally, Mu considers the potential place in this field of factor, cluster, and logistic regression analyses, as well as multilevel modelling. As such, Quantifying Bourdieu is a call to methodological pluralism in Bourdieusian sociology of education. This call is beautifully illustrated through a number of original empirical cases in education. This book is essential reading for all Bourdieusian scholars.
Bob Lingard, University of Queensland

Quantifying Bourdieu in Educational Research presents a thoughtful and rigorous engagement with Bourdieu’s work, staying true to his emphasis on methodological openness while addressing the contemporary challenges shaping educational research today. Mu masterfully highlights the balance between theoretical considerations and practical methods, offering a nuanced exploration of Bourdieu’s diverse approaches. Given the dominance of qualitative work over the last forty years, there is a real need to re-engage and reflect critically on quantitative inquiry in Bourdieusian sociology.
Garth Stahl, University of Queensland

Mu’s book reminds sociologists of education of the methodological diversity in Bourdieu’s work, moving beyond the dominant focus on regression models and concepts like cultural capital. Mu uses examples from his research to show how multiple quantitative methods can expand on Bourdieu’s theoretical tools. This approach advances the study of educational inequalities without reducing Bourdieu’s theory to hypothesis testing. Offering valuable guidance for experienced researchers and advanced students, Mu’s book is a crucial contribution to the methodological debate on quantifying Bourdieu and a creative guide for those building on his legacy.
Frederick de Moll, Universität Bielefeld

With this book, the quantitative methodology of Pierre Bourdieu gets a long-needed accessible and thorough examination. The book presents not only the practical aspects of how to conduct quantitative analysis inspired by one of the most influential modern sociologists, but also a discussion of the theoretical and epistemological foundation for Bourdieu’s unique and original quantitative methodology, and how other newer forms of quantitative analysis can be put to work for the Bourdieusian scholar. It is a valuable addition to the library of any researcher concerned with Bourdieu and education.
Jan Thorhauge Frederiksen, University of Copenhagen