The Schooled Society: The Educational Transformation of Global Culture

by David P. Baker

Overview

Only 150 years ago, the majority of the world's population was largely illiterate. Today, not only do most people over fifteen have basic reading and writing skills, but 20 percent of the population attends some form of higher education. What are the effects of such radical, large-scale change? David Baker argues that the education revolution has transformed our world into a schooled society—that is, a society that is actively created and defined by education.

Drawing on neo-institutionalism, The Schooled Society shows how mass education interjects itself and its ideologies into culture at large: from the dynamics of social mobility, to how we measure intelligence, to the values we promote. The proposition that education is a primary rather than a "reactive" institution is then tested by examining the degree to which education has influenced other large-scale social forces, such as the economy, politics, and religion. Rich, groundbreaking, and globally-oriented, The Schooled Society sheds light on how mass education has dramatically altered the face of society and human life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780804790475
Publisher:	Stanford University Press
Publication date:	07/23/2014
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	360
Sales rank:	882,100
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

David P. Baker is Professor of Education and Sociology, and a research scientist at the Center for the Study of Higher Education and the Population Research Institute at Pennsylvania State University. He is coauthor of National Differences, Global Similarities: World Culture and the Future of Schooling (Stanford, 2005) and a frequent contributor to scholarly journals on education.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables ix

Preface xi

Introduction: A Quiet Revolution 1

Part I Dimensions and Origin of the Schooled Society

1 From Education Revolution to the Schooled Society 23

2 Constructing Culture: Academic Intelligence, Social Status, and Human Rights 41

3 The Incredible Longevity of the Western University 58

4 Mass Education and the Super Research University 83

5 Constructing Reality: Ice Cream, Women's Studies, and the MBA 99

Part II Societal Consequences of the Education Revolution

6 The Educational Transformation of Work 125

7 Credentialing in the Schooled Society 156

8 The Transformation of Knowledge and Truth Claims 184

9 Failure, Redemption, and the Construction of the Self 219

10 An Educated Polity: The Universal Solvent and the Political Paradox 247

11 An Educated Laity: The Education-Religion Paradox 261

Conclusion: The Schooled Society and Beyond: Ubiquitous, Formidable, and Noisy 275

Notes 303

References 311

Index 339

Editorial Reviews

"In a little over 100 years, formal education has gone from the privilege of an elite few to a standard life phase. Conventional analyses view this 'massification' as the inevitable response to increasingly complex societies and economies. David Baker explores formal education as a social-cultural force in its own right, pointing to its profound effects on diverse social institutions and world cultural ideologies. The Schooled Society offers a powerful alternative perspective on the global educational revolution."—Maria Charles, University of California, Santa Barbara

"The Schooled Society argues that education is more cultural than functional and more authoritative than instrumental. It constitutes the very groundwork of contemporary society as much as it serves particular needs and interests. This path-breaking book offers a rich, encompassing, global perspective on education, even as it articulates an educationally-grounded vision of contemporary society itself."—David John Frank, University of California, Irvine

"The Schooled Society is one of the most important books in the sociology of education in quite some time. It provides an original, rigorous, and well-supported application of neo-institutional theory and covers an enormous amount of material. The author takes on some of the most accepted aspects of both conflict and functionalist theory and in doing so provides what is at times a controversial take on mass education, democracy, K-12 and higher education, cognition, and a number of other topics. It will solidify his reputation as one of today's leading sociologists of education and comparative and international education."—Alan R. Sadovnik, Rutgers University

From the Publisher

"In a little over 100 years, formal education has gone from the privilege of an elite few to a standard life phase. Conventional analyses view this 'massification' as the inevitable response to increasingly complex societies and economies. David Baker explores formal education as a social-cultural force in its own right, pointing to its profound effects on diverse social institutions and world cultural ideologies. The Schooled Society offers a powerful alternative perspective on the global educational revolution."

University of California, Santa Barbara - Maria Charles

"The Schooled Society is one of the most important books in the sociology of education in quite some time. It provides an original, rigorous, and well-supported application of neo-institutional theory and covers an enormous amount of material. The author takes on some of the most accepted aspects of both conflict and functionalist theory and in doing so provides what is at times a controversial take on mass education, democracy, K-12 and higher education, cognition, and a number of other topics. It will solidify his reputation as one of today's leading sociologists of education and comparative and international education."

Rutgers University - Alan R. Sadovnik

"The Schooled Society argues that education is more cultural than functional and more authoritative than instrumental. It constitutes the very groundwork of contemporary society as much as it serves particular needs and interests. This path-breaking book offers a rich, encompassing, global perspective on education, even as it articulates an educationally-grounded vision of contemporary society itself."

University of California, Irvine - David John Frank