Enhancing Career Studies with Realist Social Theory

Andrew Kozhevnikov; Wolfgang Mayrhofer; Katharina Chudzikowski

doi:10.1177/09500170251408620

Enhancing Career Studies with Realist Social Theory

Andrew Kozhevnikov, Wolfgang Mayrhofer, Katharina Chudzikowski

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This conceptual article contributes to the theoretical development of career studies by responding to calls for a robust social theory that would support the advancements of career research. While the theories of Bourdieu, Giddens and Luhmann (and some others) have had some resonance, alternative broad theoretical frameworks are still needed to tackle unresolved issues. Proposing Realist Social Theory (RST) as one such alternative, this article outlines four key contributions that this theoretical framework can offer to further advance career scholarship. The article explicitly invites a plurality of voices to further fuel conversations about the future theorisation of career studies and to take part in debates about suitable ways forward in this endeavour.

Original language	English
Journal	Work, Employment and Society
Early online date	16 Feb 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170251408620
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 16 Feb 2026

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the editor and three anonymous reviewers for their thorough and insightful suggestions. We also thank Felix Diefenhardt, Stefanie Gustafsson, Nancy Harding, Anna Roberts and Jennifer Tomlinson for valuable feedback on an earlier draft of this article.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Keywords

Theorisation of Career Studies
Critical Realism
Realist Social Theory
Margaret Archer
Reflexivity

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10.1177/09500170251408620Licence: CC BY

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09500170251408620Licence: CC BY

Cite this

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Enhancing Career Studies with Realist Social Theory

Abstract

Acknowledgements

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Keywords

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