How can we draw up analysis of certain social reality dimensions which are generally treated, separately, either by the sociology of education and by the labor sociology? To answer this question, the work by Lucie Tanguy is examined. By proposing a critical analysis of a field of knowledge which is the object of debates and action plan speeches it is possible to overlook the tensions in which the professional education is the object. In general, professional education, either the one targeted to the formation of blue collar workers or the one targeted to the formation of technicians, is not known by the sociologists who study school education. The analysis allows us to break down certain myths about professional formation, among them the ones that refer to education as an instrument of social reproduction.
Lucie Tanguy; sociology; education and work; sociology of education; labor sociology