Marxism

Question 1

What type of theory is it?

Answer 1

A conflict, structuralist, modernist macro theory.

Question 2

Who dominates capitalist societies?

Answer 2

The wealthy ruling class - they own the means of production.

Question 3

What is the means of production?

Answer 3

The things needed to produce objects - land, capital, labour power.

Question 4

What is the economic base?

Answer 4

The means and relations of production.

Question 5

What does the ruling class’ wealth enable them to do?

Answer 5

Dominate the non-economic parts of society - it’s superstructure.

Question 6

What does the superstructure do?

Answer 6

It serves the needs of the ruling class.

Question 7

What are the two main functions of the education system?

Answer 7

1. Reproduces social inequalities in society.

2. Legitimates inequalities through myth of meritocracy.

Question 8

What is the myth of meritocracy?

Answer 8

People are persuaded that their role reflects their ability when they actually reflect class background.

Question 9

What Louis Althusser (1971) state about the education system?

Answer 9

Education is an ideological state apparatus (ISA).

Question 10

What does this ISA do?

Answer 10

Althusser says that education maintains, legitimates, and reproduces class inequalities in wealth by transmitting capitalist values disguised as common ones.

Question 11

What type of capitalist values does the system transmit? (Althusser)

Answer 11

Pupils are encouraged to accept private enterprise and individual competition without question - this benefits the ruling class more than everybody.

Question 12

What does ideology do? (Althusser)

Answer 12

The conditions needed for capitalism are reproduced without using overt force.
Ideology exerts influence subtly and subconsciously - not seen as oppressive.

Question 13

What does Bourdieu (1977) say about the system and the working class?

Answer 13

He says the system dupes the working classes into accepting their failure and that limited social mobility are justified.

Question 14

Which culture does Bourdieu say the education system values more?

Answer 14

Middle class culture. Working class attributes are rejected so the mc succeed by default.

Question 15

What does Bourdieu mean by “cultural capital”?

Answer 15

MC have have greater cultural capital as their cultural assets are seen as more worthy of investment and rewarf.

Question 16

What is the “symbolic violence” that Bourdieu refers to?

Answer 16

MC culture is reproduced and given higher status than wc culture.
This is symbolic violence against the working class.

Question 17

What do Bowles and Gintis’ Correspondence theory state (1976)?

Answer 17

Education is controlled by the capitalists:

Education corresponds with employment as schooling prepares children to work in capitalist businesses.

Question 18

What point is the correspondence principle trying to make?

Answer 18

Education breeds the future workforce to be docile, obedient and hardworking to support capitalist interests.

Question 19

What is it that prepares the workforce?

Answer 19

The hidden curriculum.

Question 20

What does the hidden curriculum teach?

Answer 20

• Acceptance of hierarchies.
• Conformist pupils do better and those who challenge authority are punished.
• Students become motivated by external rewards (wage).

Question 21

What criticism may feminists pose?

Answer 21

Marxists over-emphasise class inequalities and pay little attention to gender or ethnicity.

Question 22

How does Brown (1997) criticise correspondence theory?

Answer 22

Much work nowadays requires teamwork, rather than obedience of authority.

Question 23

What is Reynolds (1984) criticism from critical thinking?

Answer 23

He says that some subjects at school actually promote critical thinking - students are not just passive vessels.

Question 24

How does Willis demonstrate that the hidden curriculum is not always accepted?

Answer 24

In his Learning to Labour study, he followed a group of “lads” who rejected the norms and values of the school.

Question 25

How have neo-Marxists criticised the idea that education is controlled by the ruling class?

Answer 25

They say that the ruling class have a lot of power, but not all of it - there are elected LEAs who can move to the beat of their own drum (GLC).

Question 26

Why might Marxists approaches not be representative?

Answer 26

They are dated.

- Bowles and Gintis was a study in 1970s America - is this applicable to 21st century Britain?