Marxism Flashcards
Marxism is a conflict theory
They believe that there is a conflict between two different groups in society (bourgeoisie and the proletariat)
Marxists focus on the role of capitalism in society
They believe that capitalism maintains a divide in society, maintaining a false class consciousness and a caring face of capitalism in order for the bourgeoisie to maintain their power
Marxists look at the oppression of the proletariat
The proletariat is exploiting by the bourgeoisie and used for their labour and profit
Marxists have 3 key ideas about education
- Education is part of the ideological state apparatus
- Education promotes ruling class values
- Education justifies and reproduces class inequality
Marx argues the economic base of capitalism was kept strong and dominant by the superstructure of institutions
The superstructure:
Economic base - capitalists - ruling class - means of production ——> family - legal system - education - armed forces - criminal justice system - mass media - religion - political system
Louis Althusser: ISA
- Marxists see the state as a means by which the capitalist ruling class maintain their dominant position
- ordinary people would not accept unequal work conditions and pay unless something convinced them it was inevitable
- Marxists are interested in why the working class accept their oppression in society and why they don’t fight it
- Althusser looked at the role of the education system in making individuals believe that capitalism is a fair and just economic system for all
- education system is a part of the Ideological State Apparatus
- education works as a microcosm of capitalist society to teach us our subordinate position
How does an ideological state apparatus work?
Hegemony: education system persuades the subordinate group to accept their values and beliefs
Transmitting ideology: the working class are convinced by the education system that capitalism is fair to all individuals
Bowles and Gintis
- argue education is controlled by capitalists and is designed to serve capitalist interests
- conducted a study into schooling in the USA in the 70s and found education is linked closely with the world of work, teaching children the skills that capitalists value in their workers (correspondence principle)
Correspondence principle
When schooling mirrors the work of work in a capitalist society
The hidden curriculum
Term used to describe the values transmitted unofficially in a school through the ways teachers treat different groups of students and staff
Features of the hidden curriculum
-schools reward conformity
-schools separate students based on ability
-schools have a hierarchy
-school days are structured controlling your time to eat, work, and socialise
-pupils are motivated by the reward of exam success
Bourdieu; cultural capital
Cultural capital is the middle class knowledge, attitudes and values that are passed down to children that helps them to achieve in education
1. Middle class pupils have an advantage because they have been socialised into the dominant culture
2. Middle class pupils have the codes to unlock the mysteries of education
3. Middle class parents have the knowledge of how to play the system in their favour
What is the function of the education system for Bourdieu?
To reproduce capitalist culture and middle-class values, maintaining the dominance of the bourgeoisie
Cultural reproduction
-cultural reproduction takes place via the socialisation of the young
-middle class children grow up learning middle class values, succeed in education and gain middle class jobs
-they then have middle class children who grow up learning middle class values, succeed in education and gain middle class jobs
Paul Willis: the lads
-Paul Willis conducted an ethnographic study into a group called “the lads”
-combined Marxist and Interactionist thinking
-argued the lads rejected school and formed a counter school subculture
-suggested they saw through capitalism and knew even if they worked hard, they faced little chance of success
Evaluation of Marxism
- useful in exposing the myth of meritocracy
- shows the role that the education system plays as an ideal state apparatus
Critical evaluation of Marxism
- Postmodernists argue that education now reproduces diversity, not inequality
- Marxists disagree with one another as to how reproduction and legitimation take place, Bowles and Gintis take the deterministic view and assume pupils have no free will and fail to explain why some pupils reject school values
- their focus on class inequalities means they can be classes as economic determinists
- fail to look at ethnic and gender inequalities
