Iranian Journal of Sociology

Abstract The purpose of the current research is to identify and examine the most important sociological theories in relation to the shadow curriculum, while examining research works and literature, and examine its nature in the perspective of sociological theories. The theoretical framework of this article is based on critical theory and from the methodological point of view, it is a qualitative research in which the data were collected and analyzed in a documentary way. On the one hand, the shadow curriculum is a tool to achieve goals that cannot be realized through the official curriculum, and designers and policy makers achieve these goals through it. On the other hand, it is a language that students and teachers use to break taboos, to express the problems of school and social life. They want to highlight the concerns of family, social and cultural life. The shadow curriculum originates from the language, mind, thoughts and hearts of students and teachers. Based on the results of this research, the most important sociological theories that have explained the shadow curriculum are: Marxism, critical theory, resistance theory, Nietzsche's theory and psychoanalysis