Sociology of Education

Photo: Micke Lundström

Sociology of Education examines the relationship between education, economy and politics as well as social classes and mobility. Sociology of Education also analyses the relationship between education and culture and its role to both preserve and change the existing society.

Sociology of Education broadly explores education, training, learning and upbringing in relation to other parts of society and pervasive societal processes, such as globalisation and changes in work life. A central focus within Sociology of Education research at the Department of Education is the intersection between students’ and teachers’ various assets and the prevailing order that governs the education system. Another central focus is the development and growth of educational institutions and the relationship between education and other parts of society, such as the worlds of politics, economics and culture. The foundation of Sociology of Education follow more general sociological and historical research traditions.

The majority of studies in Sociology of Education are based on two perspectives. Firstly, we explore educational strategies, i.e. how individuals and groups with different kinds of assets use the educational system. Secondly, we seek to understand the social world within which these strategies develop, i.e. the field of educational institutions. This field does not comprise academic institutions, schools and educational directions per se, but the system of relationships between and among them, the positions they adopt in relation to one another, and the historical development of those positions. A particular area of interest is the relationship between the "baggage" of pupils, students, and teachers (i.e. cultural capital and other assets) and the prevailing social and cultural order of the educational system. Another significant area of interest is the relationship between education and professional careers within distinct social fields, for example economic, political or cultural fields.

The Swedish Centre for Studies of the Internationalisation of Higher Education (SIHE)

SIHE was established in the autumn of 2017 in order to coordinate, carry out and disseminate research and knowledge.

About SIHE

Networks and collaborations

Swedish Higher Education as Research Object (HERO), directed by Mikael Börjesson.
Transnational Capital and Transformation of the Elites. International network organised by SEC, Uppsala University, and Centre européen de sociologie et de science politique de la Sorbonne (CESSP-Paris), directed by Mikael Palme, Mikael Börjesson, Anne-Catherine Wagner & Bertrand Réau.

Seminars and other events

The Higher Seminar in Sociology of Education

The Higher Seminar in Sociology of Education series is a place for PhD students to present dissertation drafts as well as for master students in the Master's Programme in Sociology of Education to defend their theses.

Selected Wednesdays, generally scheduled at 13:15-15:00 in Tupprummet (14:340).
Faculty responsible: Mikael Börjesson
The seminar is coordinated by: Ashley Haru

The Sociology of Education Seminar

The Sociology of Education Seminar series is a place to present current research in Sociology of Education and research relevant to the this discipline. This seminar is open to researchers working in Sociology of Education at Uppsala University as well as to national and international guests.

Selected Wednesdays, generally scheduled at 13:15-15:00 in Tupprummet (14:340).
Faculty responsible: Mikael Börjesson
The seminar is coordinated by: Ashley Haru

Seminars and other events organised by the Sociology of Education and Culture (SEC) research group can be found here.

The Comenius Seminar

The Comenius Seminar series presents history of education research on different themes and eras by researchers from various institutions and academic disciplines.

Selected Tuesdays, generally scheduled at 15:15 - 17:00 in Tupprummet (14:340).
Faculty responsible: Henrik Pålsson-Edgren

Upcoming seminars and doctoral defences

Spring 2026

2026-01-20
Comenius Seminar - Lecture with Janne Holmén
Diagrammens världshistoria: Rumslig representation av information och idéer från stenåldern till idag
Language: Swedish

2026-02-19
Comenius Seminar - Guest Lecture with Marie-Elise Hunuyadi, Researcher and Historian of Education at l'Université Catholique de l'Ouest in Angers
Emotions and Education : Toward a Sensory History of Schooling (France, 1880-1960)
Language: English

2026-02-25
Comenius Seminar - Guest Lecture with Ilona Kostikova
Teaching and learning in Metroschool and underground schools in Kharkiv during wartime
Language: English

2026-03-04
Sociology of Education Seminar - Discussion of applications for research funding
Language: Swedish and English

2026-03-11
Sociology of Education Seminar - Two Lectures
-The excellent few: The educational and demographic effects of national childrearing systems
(Janne Holmén, Martin Kolk, Erika Majoros, Rebecca Ye, and Jiaxin Shi)
-The impact of special education training for general teachers: evidence from Specialpedagogik för lärande
(Leah Glassow, Nils Kirsten)
Language: English

2026-04-01
90% Higher Seminar in Sociology of Education - Tommie Petersson
School grades and social reproduction. A quantitative study of increasing divides in the emergence of Swedish school markets
Language: English

2026-04-10
PhD Defence - Agnes Hamberger
Flickornas folkskola–Genus och utbildning, ca:1840-1920
Language: Swedish

2026-04-29
90% Higher Seminar in Sociology of Education - Astrid Collsiöö
Högskolans hierarkier. Social stratifiering i möjligheter och val till statsvetenskapliga utbildningar
Language: Swedish

2026-05-13
Sociology of Education Seminar - Lecture with Laura Giorio, Ida Lidegran and Anna Tyllström
Personality types among students at elite business education in Sweden and Finland
Language: English

2026-05-20
Sociology of Education Seminar - Lecture with Pablo Lillo Cea
A Quiet Dispossession: How Higher Education Lost Control of the Digital Means of Knowledge Production and Learning
Language: English

2026-05-27
Sociology of Education Seminar - Two Lectures with Jacob Färnert and Lars Engwall
-Främst bland likar: En studie av ämnesbakgrund och andra rekryteringsmönster hos rektorer vid svenska universitet och högskolor 1977–2025
(Jacob Färnert)
-The Competition for Academic Top Leadership
(Lars Engwall)
Language: Swedish

2026-06-10
50% Higher Seminar in Sociology of Education - Helena Braga Kestener
The relationship between teachers and students in digital classrooms
Language: English

Autumn 2026

2026-09-08
50% Higher Seminar in Sociology of Education - Aifric Doherty
Meritocracy in Higher Education. Tracing the Genealogy in mid-Century Britain
Language: English

2026-09-25
PhD Defense - Rebecka Göransdotter Lindgren
Att förkroppsliga vetenskapen. En kvinnlig vetenskapsrörelsens formering och utveckling i Sverige, 1880–1930
Language: Swedish