Doc Week focus on Legitimation Code Theory

The most recent CHERTL Doc Week ran from 29 October to 2 November and focused on the use of Legitimation Code Theory. We were privileged to have Dr Karl Maton from the University of Sydney with us for the week to present an intensive look at what this rapidly growing theoretical frame offers to our studies in higher education.

Legitimation Code Theory develops out of the work of Bernstein and Bourdieu and provides a framework whereby we can make sense of what kinds of knowledge and what kinds of knowers are legitimated in the educational process. Legitimation Code Theory has been used in a range of studies, many of which go beyond the educational arena but all of which share a concern with whose knowledge and what kind of knowers are legitimated within a specific context and how this legitimation takes place. The theory is not some relativist railing against powerful knowledge but rather is a means of providing a rigorous account of what knowledge and knower structures are powerful within particular contexts and for interrogating the implications of this reality.

After providing a general overview of the possibilities LCT offers to researchers, Dr Maton discussed two particularly generative tools in the theoretical toolkit: specialization and semantics. The week ended with a hands-on session where raw data was analysed. Dr Maton also generously met with a number of individuals who are already using LCT for their studies and discussed the progress of their studies with them.

Feedback from the week suggests that this event was a great success:

“Karl made complex theory accessible to me and made me see how and why I can use it for my study”

“I understand better the scope of the theory”

“It was theoretically intensive but somehow also practical and fun”

“I prepared well for this week by reading a lot on legitimationcodetheory.com and this week gave me such a boost to find I do understand this and how to apply it”

“I was new to LCT and Bernstein but I still followed most of it and look forward to reading more about it now”

“The data application session was really great to see how these ideas can allow you to say something meaningful about practice”

As always, the Doc Week was a space of great debate and collegial conversations as can be seen from the pictures!