Marxism

Question 1

What theory is Marxism?

Answer 1

Conflict theory - society is based on conflict

Question 2

Who believed there was conflict between 2 groups of people? And who were they?

Answer 2

Marx

-conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat

Question 3

Who are the bourgeoisie?

Answer 3

Middle class, minority group, have money, control society, have money

Question 4

Who are the proletariat?

Answer 4

Working class, majority class, work in factories, ‘low skilled’ labour, powerless

Question 5

What does the bourgeoisie own?

Answer 5

MEANS OF PRODUCTION

-things you need to make stuff: factories, tools / machinery, material resources

Question 6

What does the proletariat own?

Answer 6

Own their LABOUR, they sell this to the bourgeoisie (RELATIONS OF PRODUCTION)

Question 7

What is the relationship between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat like? And why?

Answer 7

Exploitative

- B work the P for long hours, low pay in poor condition, minimal holiday

Question 8

What did Marx believe the proletariat were going to do?

Answer 8

1. Become aware of their exploitation
2. Form class consciousness
3. Two routes =
   •join/form a trade union, argue for better conditions, strike
   •revolution - workers should rise up, overthrow the bourgeoisie, seize the MEANS OF PRODUCTION
   Create a new class-less society based on shared ownership of the means of production =COMMUNISM

Question 9

Who talks about marxists view of education? What did they believe?

Answer 9

Althusser

-state is controlled by the bourgeoisie, split into the RSA and the ISA

Question 10

What is the RSA and who owns it?

Answer 10

Repressive state apparatus

• criminal justice system
• police
• army

Question 11

What does the RSA have control to do?

Answer 11

Monopoly of violence

Ability to use force

Question 12

What is the ISA and who is involved?

Answer 12

Ideological state apparatus

• media
• education
• religion

Question 13

How does education in the ISA maintain Marxist views?

Answer 13

Education is used to maintain bourgeoisie power over the proletariat
-upholding the status quo (the situation as it is)

Question 14

How is Althusser criticised?

Answer 14

He was a philosopher not a sociologist

-offered no evidence for the RSA/ISA theory

Question 15

How can Karl Marx be criticised?

Answer 15

Capitalism has persisted, Marx’s ‘prophecy’ of a proletarian uprising did not come to pass

Question 16

How is Bowles and Gintis criticised?

Answer 16

They take a ‘class first’ approach, ignoring other factors/influences

Question 17

What did the bourgeoisie controlling education do?

Answer 17

-reproduced inequality (replicate the status quo)
-proletariat to gain the necessary skills to labour whilst keeping them ‘in their place’
(Recreate a constant supply of docile workers)

Question 18

Who stated meritocracy was a myth? And why?

Answer 18

Bowles and Gintis 
-social class is the key indicator of success

Question 19

What is the correspondence principle?

Answer 19

• parallels between school and the work places- prepare students for labour
• certain traits were rewarded and others punished

Question 20

Who did a study on the ‘lads’

Answer 20

Paul Willis

Question 21

Who were the lads?

Answer 21

12 Working class males, behaves poorly in school (break rules, be disruptive) 
-ultimately they underachieved, leading to no qualifications, leading to low skilled, low paid, manual labour

Question 22

How did the ‘lads’ view Education?

Answer 22

A waste of time, not for them, cannot leave the working class - called it a ‘con’

Question 23

How did the ‘lads’ view manual labour?

Answer 23

-viewed it in a positive way
-masculine
Where as… ‘professional’ roles and education was undesirable and ‘feminine’

Question 24

How did the lads view other pupils?

Answer 24

• verbally abused girls

- called middle class boys and hard working w/c boys ear’oles

Question 25

So why did it not matter to try hard or not?

Answer 25

It didn’t matter if they tried hard (because meritocracy was a myth) or if they don’t (because they want a labour role/ job) and would end up in that role regardless of effort

Question 26

How was Willis criticised?

Answer 26

Only 12 ‘lads’ involved

• from the same class
• issues of validity? Reliability? Representativeness?