Knowledge, Expertise and the Professions

This book is the first attempt to apply the disciplines of the sociology of knowledge and epistemology to the question of professional knowledge. It goes beyond traditional debates between ‘knowing how’ and ’knowing that’, and ‘theory’ and ‘practice’, and ranges widely from discussions of the threats to the knowledge base of established professions to the fraught situations faced by occupations whose fragile knowledge base and professional status is increasingly challenged by new forms of control.