Marxism and Education

Question 1

Marx

Answer 1

• bourgeoisie owns means of production and employ workers exploitatively
• by paying workers less than the value of their labour, able to extract surplus value which is the engine of capitalism

Question 2

Marx on education

Answer 2

• education legitimises class division and capitalist exploitation

Question 3

Althusser

Answer 3

• coins the term “false class consciousness” in where proletariat are not able to see their true state

Question 4

4 functions of the education system?

Answer 4

1) Forming a crucial part of the ideological state apparatus (ISA)
2) Producing a compliant and obedient workforce
3) Reproduce class work inequality
4) Myth of meritocracy

Question 5

What are the two states that keep the bourgeoise in power, according to Althusser?

Answer 5

1) Repressive state apparatus (police, army )
2) Ideological state apparatus ( religion, education)

Question 6

Bowles and Gintis - compliant workforce

Answer 6

• suggest capitalism requires workforce with behaviour suited to their role as exploited hard workers who accept low pay
• role of the education system is to produce obedient workforce who accept inequality

Question 7

Bowles and Gintis (Evidence)

Answer 7

• looked at 237 students and found that schools reward submissive and obedient behaviour and punish defiant behaviour

Question 8

Bowles and Gintis - Correspondence principle

Answer 8

• argue there are parallels between school and work in capitalist society due to hierarchies
• correspondence principle works through hidden curriculums, lessons indirectly taught to students e.g. competition, accepting authority
• through this schools prepare WC students as exploited workers

Question 9

Phil Cohen

Answer 9

• youth training schemes teach young workers attitudes needed for labour by accepting lower paid wages which serves capitalism

Question 10

Gramsci

Answer 10

• bourgeoisie maintain hegemony as a combination of consent and coercion
• proletariat have “dual consciousness” able to see their exploitation

Question 11

Bowles and Gintis - myth of meritocracy

Answer 11

• education promotes myth of meritocracy by making WC students believe everyone is equal and actually reproduces class inequalities

Question 12

Paul Willis

Answer 12

• neo Marxist who studied 12 working class “lads” and discovered they had rejected the concept of education by joining an anti school subculture