Educational Field: A sociological Essay about its increasing differentiation and complexity in Chile and Latin America

Abstract

This article analyzes the increasing differentiation and complexity of the educational field in Chile and in Latin America starting from the theorization that Pierre Bourdieu' sociology has made of it. The make-up of the educational field is thought of as a social space of permanent quarrel for legitimacy among agents who have a variety of capitals. It is argued that this field, particularly in recent decades, has become more intricate and led to a shift in the agents' position, allowing for the incorporation of new ones based on educational economists, who function under the cultural and symbolic capital provided by human capital theory.