Education - Marxist Perspectives Flashcards
What are the key ideas that Marxists have on education?
Argues education aims to legitimise & reproduce class inequalities by forming a subservient class & workforce
Education preps children of the capitalist ruling class for positions of power
Education is part of the ‘superstructure’
What is the base?
The means & relations of production
What is the superstructure?
Art, family, culture, religion, philosophy, law, media, politics, science, education etc
What do Marxists believe the function of education is?
Education is based on exploitation & oppression (teaches proletariat children they exist to be dominated & bourgeoise children they exist to dominate)
Schools -> gatekeepers of knowledge & decides what consitutes knowledge (they dont teach students they are oppressed & exploited or the need to free themselves -> kept in state of false class consciousness)
Class consciousness can be achieved through political education but isnt possible in formal education -> only prioritises the ideologies of the capitalist ruling class.
SOCIOLOGIST: What did Marx say about alienation?
We’re distanced from our human nature by societal structures
Expressed how education system preps younger members of society to enter the world of work (accomplishes this through strict daytime routines)
Describes this as alienating individuals from a young age as they begin to stray from the freedom they experienced as a child
SOCIOLOGIST: What did Althusser say about ideological state apparatus?
Argued education exists to produce & reproduce an efficient & obedient workforce
Added to Marxist understanding of the superstructure & base by distinguishing between the ‘repressive state apparatuses’ (RSA) & the ‘ideological state apparatuses’ (ISA) both which form the state
What is ideological state apparatus?
Social insitutions (e.g. religion, media, education etc.) use ideology to control people beliefs, values & thoughts — ensures people are in a state of false class consciousness (obscures reality of exploitation)
How did Althusser say education is a part of the ideological state apparatus?
Preps working class children to accept a life of exploitation
Education serves to preserve value consensus, however these norms & values are those that serve the interests of the ruling class
E.g. education teaches us about hierarchy, respect for authority etc. (Functionalists may argue these important for society to function, Marxists say these preserve positions of the rich & powerful)
SOCIOLOGIST: What did Gramsci say about hegemony & what is it?
Hegemony - the domination of one group/ideology over others
Said schools present themselves at ideologically neutral
History is taught from the perspective of the white capitalist class
Schools replicate the workplace (e.g. attendance, punctuality)
Curriculum prioritises subjects that provide key skills (e.g. maths & English) and the arts are devalued
SOCIOLOGIST: What did Bowles & Gintis say about the correspondence principle?
- Education preps children (especially working class) to serve the capitalist class
- Pupil experiences correspond with workplace culture
- Schools replicate the workplace e.g. attendance, punctuality, rewards, punishments etc.
- Aims to create compliant workers who accept the status quo & don’t challenge the dominant ideology (that we should work).
What are criticisms of the Marxist perspective?
Deterministic - the fate of working class pupils is not determined & they have the power to change it. Many working class pupils excel in education (Giroux)
Not all pupils think the education system is fair - Willis: working class ‘lads’ knew the system was biased towards the middle classes
Education can harm the ruling classes - many left-wing activists are highly educated
The correspondence principle may be outdated - employers increasingly require workers to think
