Marxist approach Flashcards
Marxism is a…
class-conflict approach
what are marxists beliefs about education?
-the state controls education
-the bourgeousie control the state
so the bourgeouisie control education and use it to prevent a revoloution and maintain capitalism.
marxists believe education is based on class division and capitalist explpoitation of the workforce
Althusser: what does the state consist of which serves to keep the bourgeoisie in power?
Ideological state apparatus:
1. the repressive state apparatus- maintains rule by force or threat; includes police, courts and army. when necessary, they use physical coercion to repress the working class
2. Ideological state apparatus- maintains the rule of the bourgeouisie by controlling peoples ideas, values and beliefs; includes religion, mass media and the education system
why is education an important ISA?
1- it reproduces class inequality by transmitting it from generation to generation
2- it legitimises (justifies) class inequality by producing ideologies that disguise its true cause. the function of ideology is to persuade people that inequality is inevitable and that they deserve their subordinate position in society. if they accept these ideas then they are less likely to challenge or threaten capitalism.
Bowles and Gintis (1976): schooling in capitalist america
-they argue that cap requires a workforce with the kinds of behaviour, attitudes and personality suited to their role as alienated and exploited workers willing to accept hard work and low pay, the role of education is to prepare students for this. they do this by:
-rewarding perosnality traits (submissive, compliant workers
-when students show independancy and creativity, they gaines low grades
-therefore schools help to produce obedient workers
the correspondence principle
-B&G argue there ar eclose parallels between schools and work in cap society. how?:
-schools and workplaces are hierarchies
-headteachers and bosses are the tope decision makers, giving orders to employers and students at the bottom who obey
-schooling takes place in ‘the long shadow of work’
-B&G refer to these parallels as the ‘correspondence principle’
the hidden curriculum
-this principle operates through the hidden curriculum (this is all the ‘lessons’ that are learnt in school without being directly taught e.g. students becoming accustomed to accepting hierarchy and competition)
what are the purpose of schools then?
-school prepare students for their exploited workers of the future- reproduces workforce that cap needs and perpetuating class inequality from gen to gen
-for example, Cohen (1984)- youth training schemes does not teach young workers genuine job skills but rather the attitudes and values needed in a subordinate labour force as it lowers their aspirations so that they will accept low paid work
the legitimation of class inequality
-cap society is based on inequality
-there is always a danger that the poor will feel this inequality is undeserved or unfair
-this can cause rebellion against the system responsible for it
-B&G argue education system helps to prevent this by:
-legitimating class inequality by producing ideology that serve to explain and justify why inequality is fair, natural and innevitable
the myth of meritocracy
-a key myth that education promotes is the ‘myth of meritocracy’
-meritocracy means everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve and that rewards are based on ability and effort, so those who gain them deserve them because they are hard-working and most able
-unlike parsons, B&G argue meritocracy doesnt exists as evidence shows the main factor determining whether someone has high income is their family and class background, not their ability or educational achievement
how does the myth of meritocracy legitimate class inequality?
-by disguising this fact of class background, the MOM serves to justify the privileges of the higher classes, making it seem as if they gained them through effort and ability and succeeding in open and fair competition at school
-this persuades the working class that inequality is legitimate and makes it less likely that they will seek to overthrow cap
how does the education system justify poverty?
-they do this through the ‘poor are dumb’ theory of failure
-they blame poverty on the individual rather than blaming cap (‘im poor because i didnt work hard enough at school/wasnt clever enough’)
-therefore it plays an important part in reconciling workers to their exploited position, making them less likely to rebel against the system
Willis (1977): learning to labour
-cap need workforce thats willign to accept exploitation and this is provided by education
-this reproduces class inequality/legitimates it by ensuring WC pupils are sorted into and learn to accept poorly paid and lienated jobs
-although B&G see education as a fairly straightforward process of indoctrination, Willis believes pupils can resist attempts of indoctrination
-combines studies with an interactionist approach
the lads’ counter culture (1)
-willis used qualitive research methods (participant observation)
-studied counter-school culture of ‘the lads’ (12 WC school boys)
-they were scornful to the conformists (ear’ole’s) because unlike the lads they listen to what the teachers tell them
-intimidatory behaviour (taking the ouss out of the ear’ole’s and the girls
-the lads find school boring, meaningless and flout its rules and values by smoking, drinking etc.
-such acts of defiance are ways of resisting the school
-they reject schools meritocratic ideology that WC pupils can achieve MC jobs through hard work
the lads counter culture (2)
-willis noticed a similarity between the lads anti-school counter-culture and shoopfloor culture of male manual workers. similarities:
-they see manual work as superior and intellectual work as inferior and effeminate
-lads identify strongly with male manual work and this explains why they see themselves as superior both to girls and to the conformists who aspire to non-manual jobs
-this explains why lads counter culture of resistance to schools helps them to slot into jobs- inferior in terms of skill, pay and condition- that cap needs someone to perform e.g.:
theya re accustomed to boredom and find ways of amusing themselves in school, they dont expect satisfaction from work and are good at finding diversions to cope with the tedium of unskilled labour
-the acts of rebellion guarantee that they will end up in unskilled jobs by ensuring their failure to gain worthwhile qualifications
-the irony is that by rejecting the schools values and resisting its ideology’s, it ensures they end up in unskilled work that cap needs someone to perform
