Professional Fields and Truth Regimes: In Search of Alternative Approaches
(2010) In Comparative Sociology 9(6). p.843-886- Abstract
- Sociology of the professions has faced difficulties in delineating and defining the core of its object of study, the concept and phenomenon of profession. Setting out from the so-called French epistemological tradition, this article tries out a new possibility. It is argued that if there are trans-historical elements in professions, they are found at the cognitive side, as a certain reasonably invariant cognitive structure. The structure implies that a specific type of (scientific) knowledge can be coupled with professional practice, that is, know-why is linked to know-how. This is what the notion of profession primarily should be based on. Science, profession, and “object” together constitute a “truth-regime” in Foucault's sense. On the... (More)
- Sociology of the professions has faced difficulties in delineating and defining the core of its object of study, the concept and phenomenon of profession. Setting out from the so-called French epistemological tradition, this article tries out a new possibility. It is argued that if there are trans-historical elements in professions, they are found at the cognitive side, as a certain reasonably invariant cognitive structure. The structure implies that a specific type of (scientific) knowledge can be coupled with professional practice, that is, know-why is linked to know-how. This is what the notion of profession primarily should be based on. Science, profession, and “object” together constitute a “truth-regime” in Foucault's sense. On the other hand, the social side of professions is historically variable. Indeed, the social attributes of a profession changes with social transformations and external interests, with its position in Bourdeauian professional fields, and with its relations in “the professional complex.” The article concludes with a suggestion for a new definition of professions. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1718902
- author
- Brante, Thomas LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2010
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- definition of profession, professional landscape, ontological model, professional truth-regime, profession, professional field
- in
- Comparative Sociology
- volume
- 9
- issue
- 6
- pages
- 843 - 886
- publisher
- Brill
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:78649311168
- ISSN
- 1569-1330
- DOI
- 10.1163/156913310X522615
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 4c07219e-c7a5-490a-b2a2-5e4a9ac2e5ef (old id 1718902)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 10:56:03
- date last changed
- 2022-04-04 22:36:14
@article{4c07219e-c7a5-490a-b2a2-5e4a9ac2e5ef,
abstract = {{Sociology of the professions has faced difficulties in delineating and defining the core of its object of study, the concept and phenomenon of profession. Setting out from the so-called French epistemological tradition, this article tries out a new possibility. It is argued that if there are trans-historical elements in professions, they are found at the cognitive side, as a certain reasonably invariant cognitive structure. The structure implies that a specific type of (scientific) knowledge can be coupled with professional practice, that is, know-why is linked to know-how. This is what the notion of profession primarily should be based on. Science, profession, and “object” together constitute a “truth-regime” in Foucault's sense. On the other hand, the social side of professions is historically variable. Indeed, the social attributes of a profession changes with social transformations and external interests, with its position in Bourdeauian professional fields, and with its relations in “the professional complex.” The article concludes with a suggestion for a new definition of professions.}},
author = {{Brante, Thomas}},
issn = {{1569-1330}},
keywords = {{definition of profession; professional landscape; ontological model; professional truth-regime; profession; professional field}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{6}},
pages = {{843--886}},
publisher = {{Brill}},
series = {{Comparative Sociology}},
title = {{Professional Fields and Truth Regimes: In Search of Alternative Approaches}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156913310X522615}},
doi = {{10.1163/156913310X522615}},
volume = {{9}},
year = {{2010}},
}