Basil Bernstein's work focused on the way that knowledge is produced, transmitted and learned. Written by a team of international contributors, this book shows the scope and power of his work, developed over a fifty year period. It aims to demonstrate the growing recognition of the value of Bernstein's work to understanding what is happening to education systems today.

The volume is divided into four sections. Section 1 considers the work of the theorists that Bernstein worked 'through' and 'with', from Durkheim and Marx to Bourdieu and Foucault. Section 2 focuses on teaching and learning in school contexts and draw on current issues of boys' underachievement, citizenship, system reform and language learning in varied cultural contexts. Section 3 applies Bernstein's theories to teacher education, a sector where there is increasing political control. Finally, Section 4 focuses on vocational and higher education.

The book will appeal to the international academic community in education and sociology, as well as postgraduate students on education, sociology, sociolinguistic, and social psychology degrees.