Book excerpt: This is the first book to offer an overview of the ways in which the sweeping social and economic changes of the modern period have impacted on the education system. Roy Lowe draws on estensive research to paint a vivid picture of the ways in which schools and universities were moulded by external events and of the part they played in promoting modernisation of society. The book explores some key themes: * the nature of the economic transformations taking place; * the growing awareness of gender issues; * the changing ethnic composition of modern Britain; * the bureaucratisation of society and the rise of a new politics. Exploring the links between these issues and educational provision, Lowe argues that the growing political significance of educational issues is largely explained by the critical part played by the education system in providing social and economic stability during these years of swift social change. Roy Lowe is Professor of Education at the University of Wales, Swansea.