Education, Professionalization and Social Representations: On the Transformation of Social Knowledge

This book presents a broad range of research related to how social knowledge is shared, transmitted and transformed in the context of education and professional formation. The chapters of this edited collection reflect different theoretical and empirical approaches to that form of common-sense knowledge called social representations, the theory of which was developed almost a half-century ago by Serge Moscovici. Scholars from various research institutions in Brazil, France and Sweden, spanning a wide variety of disciplines within the social sciences, have contributed chapters that are grouped into three main categories related to education, professionalization and transformation of knowledge. Part I covers theoretical approaches to understanding the transformation of social knowledge from the perspective of social representations. Part II analyzes the impact of the theory of social representations on the transformation of knowledge in the field of education and professional formation. Finally, Part III presents several empirical studies focused on the social and cultural frames that condition the transformation of knowledge. While the book is devoted to education and the emerging field of research on professionalization, it will also appeal to anyone with a general interest in how people acquire their worldviews and how these views influence their actions. List of Figures. List of Tables. Foreword Denise Jodelet Acknowledgments. Introduction: Social Knowledge – Shared, Transmitted, Transformed Mohamed Chaib, Berth Danermark, and Staffan Selander Part I: Theoretical Approaches 1. Transformations and Changes in Social Knowledge – Towards the Dynamics of Meaning Making Anders Gustavsson and Staffan Selander 2. Social Representations and Power Berth Danermark and Per Germundsson 3. Of Contextualized Use of "Social" and "Professional" Alain Piaser and Michel Bataille 4. Understanding Professionalization as a Representational Process Pierre Ratinaud and Michel Lac 5. The Teacher’s Work Clarilza Prado de Sousa 6. Education Processes of the Teacher as an Apprentice Vera Maria Nigro de Souza Placco and Vera Lucia Trevisan de Souza 7. Social Representations and Cultures of Action Jean-Marie Barbier Part II: Education and Professional Formation 8. The Theory of Social Representations as a Theoretical and Methodological Tool for Research on Teachers in Brazil: Analyses of Theses and Dissertations Maria Suzana De Stefano Menin, Allesandra de Morais Shimizu, and Claudia