The following suggestions for further reading concern the overarching theoretical framework of this chapter with its emphasis on the reciprocal relationship between the individual and society. Firstly we recommend two classic books. (Chapter 1 of Mills, and Chapters 4 and 5 of Berger are particularly relevant):
Berger, P.L. (1963) Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective, New York: Doubleday.
Mills, C.W. (1959) The Sociological Imagination, Oxford: Oxford University Press. (Reading 5.1).
For more equally stimulating, texts, try:
Giddens, A. (2001) Sociology, (4th edition.) Oxford: Polity Press.
Bauman, Z. (1990) Thinking Sociologically, Oxford: Blackwell.
We also recommend the introductory chapter of the following book, edited by Stephen Ball, which outlines some of the 'turning points' in debates about the sociology of education:
Ball, S. (ed.) (2004) The RoutledgeFalmer Reader in Sociology of Education, London: RoutledgeFalmer.
A more advanced way of following up this theoretical perspective is to look for texts concerning the approach known as ‘symbolic interactionism’. This is based on the work of George Herbert Mead who draws attention to processes of social interaction as the foundation of a person’s development of a ‘self’. Although Mead’s book, was written in 1934 it is still accessible and has now become a classic:
Mead, G.H., (1934) Mind, Self and Society, Chicago. University of Chicago Press.
