ABSTRACT
Turning points in people’s lives are often a time of learning. These periods of transition frequently involve a change in people’s position, whether social, cultural or geographical; and in the conditions and circumstances in which they live. This chapter explores the relationship between learning, positions and the self. We explore this using a number of concepts drawn from the work of Pierre Bourdieu, the French social scientist who is well known for his studies of education and culture (Bourdieu 1984). In these studies, Bourdieu distinguishes between the idea of position as a specific social, economic and cultural locus in the social space; and that of habitus, which comprises a set of dispositions, or propensities towards particular values and behaviours. Our interest, clearly, lies in the relationship between position, disposition and learning.
