Chapter 5: Power Through Resistance: Why Critical Theory Can Prevent Educators From Going Back to the Future

Social theories are intended to provide insights that help people make sense of the world by calling into question aspects of life that seem to be natural and normal. Theories in the sociology of education represent tools that can help us understand the roles that education plays in shaping, as well as being shaped by, the structures and practices of societies. Moreover, theories themselves have undergone transformational shifts as sociologists and educators seek new ways to understand and explain existing circumstances, the assumptions that underlie them, and the effects that they may have on students, educators, and all participants in society.