Marxists

Question 1

Describe Bourgeoisie

Answer 1

The bourgeoisie – employers who control the means of production (land, factories, machinery, office etc.) and who make profit by exploiting the workers for their labour

Question 2

Describe proletariats

Answer 2

The proletariat – are forced to sell their labour, do not own the means of production and have no other form of income.
Work under capitalism is poorly paid, unsatisfying, alienating and something which the workers do not control

Question 3

Describe the overview of Marxism

Answer 3

This creates the potential for these classes to come in to conflict
Workers need to realise their exploitation, come together and form “class consciousness”
Together they can argue for better wages/conditions (trade unionism), or even abolish capitalism all together (revolution)
BUT capitalism is very resilient, in part due to the bourgeoisie controlling the state…

Question 4

Describe the apparatus of Louis Athlusser

Answer 4

The ideological state apparatus – maintain rule by controlling people’s ideas, values and beliefs [religion, mass media, education]
The repressive state apparatus – the monopoly of violence, the threat of its use, can use physical coercion (force) [police, army, courts]

Question 5

Why is education important to althusser

Answer 5

Education an important part of the ideological state apparatus
It creates and reproduces class inequality by: 
Imposing the culture of the ruling class on to each generation of working class students
It makes class inequality appear acceptable by: 
Persuading the working classes to accept their position and to ‘know their place’

Question 6

Describe bowles and gintis’ work

Answer 6

The role of education is to reproduce inequality and have individuals accept it as inevitable and unchanging
Studied New York high schools:
Found that traits such as submissiveness and compliance are rewarded
Independence and creativity were punished
Teaches obedience and discipline

Question 7

What did B&G find from their study?

Answer 7

Schooling creates obedient workers for capitalism,

It does not foster personal development

Question 8

What are the criticisms of Marxists?

Answer 8

Seems to assume students have no free will
Not all students passively accept being ‘programmed’ or indoctrinated
Willis shows how working class students push back against indoctrination, yet still end up in working class jobs

Question 9

What did Albert Halsey say?

Answer 9

Marxists criticise education but fail to provide an alternative!
Education systems in countries which claim to be communist perform similar functions
Marxists take a ‘class first’ approach, they fail to consider the role of gender and ethnicity

Question 10

Describe Paul Willis’ learning to labour

Answer 10

the Lads 12 WC boys from school to work
Opposed schools if they don’t their earoles
Intimidator humour
Link between anti sub and shop floor culture - both see manual work as superior

Question 11

Describe hidden cirriculum

Answer 11

all learns taught in school not directly

Prepares WC for exploitation

Question 12

Describe myth of meritocracy

Answer 12

Legitimating inequalities

Justifies MC privileges seem like they gained it through success persuading WC that inequality is okay.

Question 13

Describe poveryt

Answer 13

Poor are dumb theory of failure. Blames individual

Less likely to rebel against the system

Question 14

What was the role of educaton for B&G?

Answer 14

Reproduce an obedient workforce that will accept inequality

Question 15

Whats the correspondence priniciple?

Answer 15

Identified parallels between school and the workplace
Hierarchies (head teachers and bosses, pupils and workers)
B&G call this the ‘correspondence principle’:
Relationships and structures in school correspond with those of the workplace