Whatever Happened to Socialization?

Socialization is a key mechanism of social reproduction. Yet, like the functionalists who introduced concept, socialization has fallen out favor, critiqued for ignoring power and agency, its teleology incoherence, misguided link to “culture poverty” arguments. In this review, we argue renewed, postfunctionalist use socialization. We review concept's history, high point under Parsons, reasons demise, continued in some subfields (e.g., gender, race ethnicity, education), alternative concepts used explain then suggest that something lost when avoided or isolated particular subfields. Without socialization, conceptions reproduction face problems power, transferability. close by outlining agenda research, providing framework new theory one builds off cognitive science, pragmatism, study language, reinterrogation values, development ideology political