School subjects and how they are viewed and positioned within education is the focus of this text. It argues that, as part of rethinking the whole school curriculum, there has been a failure to look at the historical and social background of school subjects.

Ivor F. Goodson, Colin J. Marsh

Introduction - studying school subjects; school subjects - the context of cultural inventions; subjects and schooling - four school case studies; subject traditions and interest groups; subject departments; subject histories - science; subject histories - mathematics; subject histories - English; school subjects - patterns of change; school subjects - patterns of stability.