The standing of vocational education is salient for how it is perceived by those who sponsor, participate in and work within it and how its provisions are supported and administered. Yet, this standing continues to be intractably low, compared with other education sectors, more so in some countries than others. The consequences for this low…

Reviews the social impact of Burton J. Bledstein's 1976 book, "The Culture of Professionalism," on public attitudes about the social role of universities. Asserts that Bledstein's major contribution was to raise critical questions about the functions of the modern university and the relationship between knowledge and power. (CFR)