,Social Justice Dispositions
in Schools
Against the backdrop of equity-sensitive approaches within education policy
and practice, inequalities in student attainment remain a persistent problem. In
response, this book advances the concept of social justice dispositions (SJDs),
offering a new perspective by shifting the focus to what operates between
the values and beliefs of policymakers and educators and the actual everyday
practice evident within classrooms.
In this intermediary space between belief and practice, this book conceives
of social justice dispositions being one part of a larger collection of dispositions
that constitute one’s habitus drawing from the work of French sociologist
Pierre Bourdieu. Bringing this together with methodological insights from
cultural-historical activity theory, the authors seek to identify a spectrum of
social justice dispositions that influence the pedagogic work of schooling—
dispositions evident both in the pedagogic authority of school leadership and
in the pedagogic action of classroom teachers.
The book contributes new lines of inquiry, conceptual tools, and novel
methodological approaches to advance social justice research and outcomes
in education. As such, it is essential reading for academics, scholars, and
postgraduate researchers working in the space of critical research and sociology
of education.
Russell Cross is Professor of Education at the University of Melbourne,
Australia. He specialises in Vygotskian sociocultural accounts of teachers’
professional knowledge, practical expertise, and professional learning and
development.
Carmen Mills is Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, Australia.
Her work within the field of the sociology of education draws on Bourdieu
and focuses on educational inequality.
Trevor Gale is Emeritus Professor of the Sociology of Education and Fellow
of the Academy of Social Sciences, UK. His research is focused on the
reproduction of inequalities through schooling and higher education.
,Routledge Research in the Sociology of Education
The series provides a platform for both established and emerging scholars to
present their latest research and discuss key issues in the sociology of education.
The series welcomes books on all areas of the sociology of education, including
but not limited to urban education, gender and sexuality in education, equality
and human and rights, disability studies, teaching and learning, theories of
learning, and more.
Recent titles in the series include:
Social Justice Dispositions in Schools
Thinking with Bourdieu, Reading Dispositions in Practice
Russell Cross, Carmen Mills, and Trevor Gale
The Dis(Order) of U.S. Schooling
Zygmunt Bauman and Education for an Ambivalent World
Eric Ferris
Education, Parenting, and Mental Health Care in Europe
The Contradictions of Building Autonomous Individuals
Nicolas Marquis
Rethinking Sociological Critique in Contemporary Education
Reflexive Dialogue and Prospective Inquiry
Edited by Radhika Gorur, Paolo Landri, and Romuald Normand
Emerging Perspectives from Social Realism on Knowledge
and Education
Curricula, Pedagogy, Identity, and Equity
Edited by Graham McPhail, Richard Pountney, and Leesa Wheelahan
For a complete list of titles in this series, please visit: https://www.routledge.com/Routledge-
Research-in-the-Sociology-of-Education/book-series/RRSE
, Social Justice Dispositions
in Schools
Thinking with Bourdieu,
Reading Dispositions in Practice
Russell Cross, Carmen Mills,
and Trevor Gale
in Schools
Against the backdrop of equity-sensitive approaches within education policy
and practice, inequalities in student attainment remain a persistent problem. In
response, this book advances the concept of social justice dispositions (SJDs),
offering a new perspective by shifting the focus to what operates between
the values and beliefs of policymakers and educators and the actual everyday
practice evident within classrooms.
In this intermediary space between belief and practice, this book conceives
of social justice dispositions being one part of a larger collection of dispositions
that constitute one’s habitus drawing from the work of French sociologist
Pierre Bourdieu. Bringing this together with methodological insights from
cultural-historical activity theory, the authors seek to identify a spectrum of
social justice dispositions that influence the pedagogic work of schooling—
dispositions evident both in the pedagogic authority of school leadership and
in the pedagogic action of classroom teachers.
The book contributes new lines of inquiry, conceptual tools, and novel
methodological approaches to advance social justice research and outcomes
in education. As such, it is essential reading for academics, scholars, and
postgraduate researchers working in the space of critical research and sociology
of education.
Russell Cross is Professor of Education at the University of Melbourne,
Australia. He specialises in Vygotskian sociocultural accounts of teachers’
professional knowledge, practical expertise, and professional learning and
development.
Carmen Mills is Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, Australia.
Her work within the field of the sociology of education draws on Bourdieu
and focuses on educational inequality.
Trevor Gale is Emeritus Professor of the Sociology of Education and Fellow
of the Academy of Social Sciences, UK. His research is focused on the
reproduction of inequalities through schooling and higher education.
,Routledge Research in the Sociology of Education
The series provides a platform for both established and emerging scholars to
present their latest research and discuss key issues in the sociology of education.
The series welcomes books on all areas of the sociology of education, including
but not limited to urban education, gender and sexuality in education, equality
and human and rights, disability studies, teaching and learning, theories of
learning, and more.
Recent titles in the series include:
Social Justice Dispositions in Schools
Thinking with Bourdieu, Reading Dispositions in Practice
Russell Cross, Carmen Mills, and Trevor Gale
The Dis(Order) of U.S. Schooling
Zygmunt Bauman and Education for an Ambivalent World
Eric Ferris
Education, Parenting, and Mental Health Care in Europe
The Contradictions of Building Autonomous Individuals
Nicolas Marquis
Rethinking Sociological Critique in Contemporary Education
Reflexive Dialogue and Prospective Inquiry
Edited by Radhika Gorur, Paolo Landri, and Romuald Normand
Emerging Perspectives from Social Realism on Knowledge
and Education
Curricula, Pedagogy, Identity, and Equity
Edited by Graham McPhail, Richard Pountney, and Leesa Wheelahan
For a complete list of titles in this series, please visit: https://www.routledge.com/Routledge-
Research-in-the-Sociology-of-Education/book-series/RRSE
, Social Justice Dispositions
in Schools
Thinking with Bourdieu,
Reading Dispositions in Practice
Russell Cross, Carmen Mills,
and Trevor Gale
