The curriculum of the future. Ahead of its time?

Inevitably, questions will be posed about the justification for reviewing a book that was published in 1998. We might reflect that the contemporary relevance of a text is arguably more important than recency of publication. More specifically, I suggest that consideration should be given to the currency of the issues, concepts and the educational, economic and political contexts being addressed in the text, as well as those that have informed its development. Taking the latter point first, The curriculum of the future. From the ‘new sociology of education’ to a critical theory of learning necessarily takes us back to the 1970s, a time when Michael Young was in the midst of growth in the field of sociology of education. Those who have shared the challenges and rewards that come from engagement with Basil Bernstein’s work and who also possess a passion for curriculum, will reflect at how fortunate Young was to learn first hand from Bernstein that ‘there could (and should) be a sociology of curriculum’ (p. vii). Some 30 years on, The curriculum of the future serves as a worthy reminder of that, and of the extent to which since the 1970s, work emanating from the Institute of Education in London has continued to set directions for development of the field