McKersie, R. B. (2018). A Field in Flux: Sixty Years of Industrial Relations

Abstract

tional pathways for corporate occupations in order to strengthen their control of corporate leadership. And education became “the chief public policy to address problems of work and employment” (p. 180). Groeger’s book provides a fascinating historical lens into understanding America’s current educational/occupational structure. Groeger comes from a background in history, and her scholarly criticisms are mainly levied against economists. As a sociologist, I believe her critique could have benefited from a deeper knowledge of sociological scholarship. While Groeger regularly critiques the human capital model, an explicit discussion of cultural capital is noticeably absent. Despite mentions of particular forms of cultural capital— e.g. “flawless and perfectly accented English, tact, sociability, neatness, appropriate dress, trustworthiness, and character” (p. 7)—the terms “cultural capital” or “social capital” are never used in the book. There is a long tradition of sociological critique emphasizing the role of formal education in legitimizing and reproducing class structures (most notably, Bourdieu and Passeron; Lamont and Lareau) that might have added another layer of depth to Groeger’s critique of the human capital and credentialist models. Though she does not make the connection to cultural capital herself, for contemporary followers of the Bourdieusian tradition, Groeger’s rigorously collected data can provide useful insights into the history of the legitimation of the “great equalizer” ideology and contemporary class structure in American society.