Social Control- Althusser Flashcards
Who argues that the education system functions as an Ideological State Apparatus (ISA)?
Althusser, a Marxist.
What is the purpose of the education system according to Althusser?
To maintain control over the working class by the ruling class.
What myth does Althusser claim schools transmit?
The myth of meritocracy.
What is the myth of meritocracy?
The idea that everyone has an equal chance of success if they work hard.
What does Althusser argue about structural inequalities?
They give the middle class a head start.
What does the myth of individual failure in education promote?
It encourages false class consciousness, leading working-class students to believe their failure is their own fault rather than a result of an unequal system.
What is the hidden curriculum?
It includes teachings such as respecting authority and accepting hierarchy, which prepare students to comply with capitalist values.
How does the hidden curriculum affect students’ roles in the workforce?
It prepares them to accept their role in the workforce without questioning it.
What is the benefit of producing obedient workers for capitalism?
It allows inequality and exploitation to continue unchallenged.
What do Functionalists argue about education?
Functionalists argue that teaching respect for hierarchy and authority is essential for social order and stability.
Functionalists view education as a means to maintain societal stability.
How do Functionalists view the concept of meritocracy in education?
Functionalists believe education is meritocratic and gives everyone the opportunity to succeed based on ability and effort.
Meritocracy implies that success is based on individual merit rather than social class.
What is Althusser’s perspective on education?
Althusser highlights how education can reproduce inequality.
He focuses on the role of education in reinforcing existing social hierarchies.
Contrast the views of Althusser and Functionalists on education.
Althusser sees education as a means of reproducing inequality, while Functionalists see it as key to individual achievement and social integration.
This contrast reflects differing ideologies regarding the role of education in society.
