Marxism Perspective Flashcards
What does Althusser argue?
According to Althusser, the state consists of two apparatuses which serve to maintain the ruling class (bourgeoise) in their dominant position
what is the repressive state apparatuses?
it maintains the rule of the bourgeoisie by the threat of force and physical force e.g. institutions such as the police force and judiciary will use physical coercion to repress the working class and control behaviour in society so as to ensure the capitalist system is not under attack
What is the ideological state?
it maintains the rule of the bourgeoise by controlling peoples ideas, values and beliefs e.g institutions such as the media and the educations system controls institutions such as the media and the education system controls thought-patters so that people are submissive and do not attack the bourgeoise
What does the education system do according to Althusser?
it legitimates and reproduces class inequality
How does education reproduce class inequality?
by transmitting class inequality from generation to generation by failing each successive generation of working class pupils in turn
How does education legitimise class inequality?
by producing ideologies that disguise its true cause and the function of ideology is to persuade workers to accept that they deserve their subordinate position in society e.g. WC think that their poor working conditions and low pay is fair because they got bad grades at school, rather than acknowledging that they were not given the same educational opportunities as middle class people
what are the criticism of Althusser’s view?
- social welfare policies in place to ensure that no one falls below the poverty line e.g. child benefits, bursaries and free school meals
- theory assumes that people are puppets are easy to control
What does Bowles and Gintis argue?
that capitalism requires a workforce with the kind of attitudes, behaviour and personality type suited to their role as alienated and exploited workers willing to accept hard work, low pay and orders above
What do Bowles and Gintis think the role of the education system is?
to reproduce an obedient workforce that will accept inequality as inevitable
what are the similarities in school and work in capitalist society according to Bowles and Gintis
both schools and workplaces are hierarchies, with headteachers/ bosses at the top making decisions and giving orders and workers/ pupils at the bottom obeying
What is the Correspondence Principle according to Bolwes and Gintis?
the relationships and structures found in education which mirror or correspond those of work and operates through a hidden curriculum
What is the hidden curriculum according to Bowles and Gintis?
all the lessons learnt in school without being taught e.g. through the everyday workings of the school, pupils become accustomed to accepting hierarchies and competition, working for extrinsic rewards and levels of occupational structure
What did Bowles and Gintis find from their study of 237 New York high school students and the findings from other studies?
Bowles and Gintis found that schools reward the kind of personality traits that make for a submissive, compliant worker e.g. they found that those who showed independence and creativity tended to gain low grades, while those who showed characteristics linked to obedience and discipline tended to gain high grades and therefore, schooling creates an obedient workforce ideal for the capitalist system
What are the criticisms of Bowles and Gintis?
- the theory is outdated as modern economies rely on creativity and workers initiative rather than mindless workers
- in reality, students talk back, are late to class, skip class and do not obey and therefore the correspondence theory is not effective
As the capitalist society is based on inequality, what is the danger according to B & G?
the poor will rebel against the system they feel is unfair and the education system helps to prevent this from happening by legitimating class inequality by producing ideologies that serve to explain and justify why inequality is fair, natural and inevitable