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.

Contact

Mikael Börjesson or Ida Lidegran

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).
The seminar is coordinated by Håkan Forsberg.

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).
The seminar is coordinated by Håkan Forsberg.

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).
The seminar is coordinated by: Henrik Pålsson-Edgren

Upcoming seminars and doctoral defences

Autumn 2025

2025-09-17
Sociology of Education Seminar - Guest lecture with Sverre Flaaten and Pål Winnæss, Professor and Senior Lecturer, respectively, in Sociology at the Norwegian Policy University College
On the run? The social background of Norwegian police students
(På rømmen? Norske politistudenters sosiale bakgrunn)
Language: Scandinavian Languages

2025-09-24
Sociology of Education Seminar - Guest lecture with Johan Heilbron, Historical Sociologist at the University of Amsterdam and École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS)
How private capital has transformed business corporations and public services alike
Language: English

2025-10-08
Sociology of Education Seminar - Guest lecture with Simone Mejding Poulsen
Fractal Gender Dynamics in Danish University Education
Language: English

2025-10-14
50% Higher Seminar in Sociology of Education - Caitlin McEvoy
Making Swedish Care Workers: An ethnography of vocational education for assistant nurses in adult school
Language: English

2025-10-20 through 2025-10-24
A Week on Academic Freedom
Organised by Democracy and Higher Education, Higher Education and Research as Objects of Study (HERO), and Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study
Language: Swedish and English

2025-11-03
Sociology of Education Seminar - Guest lecture with Achala Gupta, Associate Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Southampton
Comparative perspectives on students-as-consumers in marketised higher education: views from Denmark, England, and Spain
Language: English

2025-11-12
Sociology of Education Seminar - Guest lecture with Yves Gingras, Professor at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and Director of Observatoire des sciences et des technologies (OST)
The Dynamics and the Structure of the Quebec Labour Market for University Professors in the Social Sciences, 1900-2020
Language: English

2025-11-19
Sociology of Education Seminar - Lecture with Ida Lidegran and Emma Laurin
Familjer, utbildning och Covid
Language: Swedish

2025-12-01
90% Higher Seminar in Sociology of Education - Rebecka Göransdotter
Kvinnokamp för vetenskap. En vetenskapsrörelses formering, utveckling och villkor i Sverige, 1880–1930
Language: Swedish

2025-12-05
Sociology of Education Seminar - Guest Lecture with Joakim Lindgren, Linda Rönnberg, Malin Benerdal and Emma Laurin
Marknadisering av elevhälsan
Language: Swedish

2025-12-08
50% Higher Seminar in Sociology of Education - Daniel Bolander Blomberg
Skolresultat och psykosomatiska problem hos barn med autism och ADHD: Vad är diagnosernas funktion?
Language: Swedish

2026-01-15
90% Higher Seminar in Sociology of Education - Lisa Backman
Samarbete över ämnesgränser: om tvärvetenskap och högre utbildning
Language: Swedish