Author: UNTERHALTER E.

Source: British Journal of Sociology of Education, Volume 24, Number 5, November 2003 , pp. 665-669(5)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

Abstract:

Rationality and Freedom

AMARTYA SEN, 2002

London, Harvard University Press

736 pp., £25.04

ISBN 0 674 00947 9

Valuing Freedoms. Sen's Capability Approach and Poverty Reduction

SABINA ALKIRE, 2002

Oxford, Oxford University Press

340 pp., £45.00

ISBN 0 19 924579

This important selection of essays by the in.uential Nobel Prize winning economist, Amartya Sen, deals with economic theory and social philosophy. Sabina Alkire's book combines a lucid exposition of the significance of Sen's work with an analysis of how it might be operationalised in development practice. Together with Sen's popular and now very widely read exposition of his key ideas in Development as Freedom (Sen, 1999) the works provide a new language to understand important social and economic processes. These recently published works also indicate some new directions debates concerning Sen's innovative ideas are taking. On the one hand, the connections across disciplines that Sen's work represents are being explored, partly by Sen himself and partly by those who have interpreted his ideas. On the other hand, the implications of Sen's work for examining practical approaches to social justice are emerging. While Sen's ideas have posed some central questions for debates in philosophy concerning equality, for discussions on social choice in economics, and for the reframing of the de.nition of 'development' in development studies, his work has had surprisingly little impact on discussions in sociology of education. Before considering what some of the potential of his thinking is for sociologists of education, some elements of his thinking need explanation.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0142569032000148708

Affiliations: 1: Institute of Education, University of London, UK

Publication date: 2003-11-01

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