Structural Inequalities and Adult Literacies Education

Abstract

Within studies of language, Bourdieu’s scholarship was wide ranging. He focused on the production and reproduction of legitimate language, the social conditions of discourse, the symbolic power of words, etc. For Bourdieu, language contributes to the social imaginary where language is “an object of contemplation, formal invention or analysis” (Bourdieu, 1997, p. 13). With this in mind, a plethora of scholars have sought to capitalize on Bourdieu’s conceptual toolkit to study the inequalities innate to the development and acquisition of language and literacy. We have asked a few scholars in the field to reflect on how Bourdieu has influenced their research and thinking. In the text that follows, academics consider how Bourdieu has provided insight into language and symbolic violence, the literacy practices of marginalized groups, literacy and power relations, as well as the recognition and misrecognition of academic literacy.