Headteacher autonomy: a sketch of a Bourdieuian field analysis of position and practice

Abstract

Bourdieu argued that his research was biographical: he sought to reflexively understand the social production of many of his life experiences without resorting to the illusion that they were unique, a-historical and transparent. To this end he systematically developed and applied a methodological toolkit, built around the concepts of field, capitals and habitus. Following Bourdieu's argument about the social-personal, I seek in this paper to focus in on the position of the headteacher. I argue that post-WW2, headteachers in England and Australia have pushed for more and more freedom and autonomy arguing 'I/we know what's best for my/our school. They [local authority, central office, politicians and policymakers] don't. If only they would give me/us the resources, stop interfering and leave me/us alone, we could just get on with it.' Mobilising Bourdieu, I sketch an argument that the quest for freedom is (re)produced as a disposition necessary for headteacher/principal practice in a de-and re-centralising schooling field. I offer this as a possible agenda for further research.

Innovation and autonomy at a time of rapid reform: an English case study

“…In so doing it is possible to offer a theorising of how 'innovative' localised policy-making, developed as a direct result of the codification of autonomy granted through the Academies Act 2010, can arguably 'misrecognise' the role of autonomy in producing versions of 'innovation' that may help to maintain structures, which serve to disadvantage members of the school community as well as contribute to ensuring the field, and its competitive nature is protected, rather than challenged (Thomson, 2010).…”

Collaboration and contestation in further and higher education partnerships in England: a Bourdieusian field analysis

“…The data on which we base this tentative analysis is, as we have earlier acknowledged, limited, particularly with regard to the size of our samples. But as Thomson (2010) argues in her study of just one headteacher, such data can nevertheless, through a careful application of theory, reveal mechanisms which operate translocally to co-ordinate the strategies of similar actors across a field.…”

“…This provides a very different perspective on expressions of individual identity and behaviour: one which eschews interpretations of disposition and agency as matters of purely voluntaristic choice, whether on the part of particular people or particular institutions (cf. Thomson, 2010). All are obliged to play in relation to the established logic of the field, notwithstanding the bounded agency they may bring to their strategies for doing so.…”

Changes in School Governance and the Reshaping of Head Teachers’ Roles and Identities in Portugal

“…This speech is constructed around tension triggered by the repositioning they are experiencing. As stated by Thomson (2010), "head teachers' desires for autonomy are logical" since they are now compelled to defend their school and develop an increasing sense of the fact that they have their schools to run (Thomson, 2010, p. 16). Their intention to struggle to maintain or increase their autonomy has been manifested in three dimensions.…”