<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> The article analyses the Slovak preschool education sector using Bourdieu’s field theory. It describes stable and volatile points in the evolution of preschool education in terms of the power games occurring within the specific social field of power relations shaped during these games. It explores the groups of powerful players that represent the political, civic-professional and academic sub-fields exerting an influence over the preschool field who in different ways and at various times control the preschool field and structure within it the hierarchy of power relations in preschool education governance. The analysis is empirically illustrated; the power relations played out and were renewed when the national preschool curriculum was undergoing fundamental change. It describes the strategies, processes and consequences of changes in the power relations between the sub-fields and the associated behaviour of the actors. The analysis shows how the power conflicts ultimately led to the homologous relations between the sub-fields transforming into democratically- -structured power relations in preschool education governance.</p></abstract>

The article analyses the Slovak preschool education sector using Bourdieu’s field theory. It describes stable and volatile points in the evolution of preschool education in terms of the power games occurring within the specific social field of power relations shaped during these games. It explores the groups of powerful players that represent the political, civic-professional and academic sub-fields exerting an influence over the preschool field who in different ways and at various times control the preschool field and structure within it the hierarchy of power relations in preschool education governance. The analysis is empirically illustrated; the power relations played out and were renewed when the national preschool curriculum was undergoing fundamental change. It describes the strategies, processes and consequences of changes in the power relations between the sub-fields and the associated behaviour of the actors. The analysis shows how the power conflicts ultimately led to the homologous relations between the sub-fields transforming into democratically- -structured power relations in preschool education governance.

Topography of power relations in Slovak preschool sector based on Bourdieu’s field theory

Journal of Pedagogy

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

The article analyses the Slovak preschool education sector using Bourdieu’s field theory. It describes stable and volatile points in the evolution of preschool...

Topography of power relations in Slovak preschool sector based on Bourdieu’s field theory

Published Online: Aug 30, 2017

Page range: 57 - 76

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jped-2017-0003

Keywords
field theory, social field, specific field, sub-field, Bourdieu, Slovakia, curriculum, preschool education

© by Ondrej Kaščák

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Topography of power relations in Slovak preschool sector based on Bourdieu’s field theory

Published Online: Aug 30, 2017

Page range: 57 - 76

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/jped-2017-0003

Keywordsfield theory, social field, specific field, sub-field, Bourdieu, Slovakia, curriculum, preschool education

© by Ondrej Kaščák

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
field theory, social field, specific field, sub-field, Bourdieu, Slovakia, curriculum, preschool education