Introduction: knowledge and the curriculum: new perspectives from social realism.

In this introductory chapter, the editors begin with a brief overview of some of the key theoretical and philosophical principles that social realists draw on in their research, which is concerned primarily with the relationship between knowledge and equity. Some of the main criticisms of social realism are then considered. The authors note the emergent characteristics of social realist work in relation to an expanded understanding of the concept of powerful knowledge and the challenges in its enactment. The introductory chapter ends with a brief outline of each chapter in the book and the way in which each contributes to the deeper ideas at work in the collection as a whole.