The Marxist Perspective on Education Flashcards
What do Marxists see education as?
They believe that every social institution is there to reinforce capitalist rule and to oppress the working classes.
Althusser: ideological state apparatus.
The RC uses the state to control the WC.
Repressive State Apparatus - controlling people’s bodies through physical force or threat of force such as the police, army, etc.
Ideological State Apparatus - controlling people’s ideas/belief through socialisation such as family, media, etc.
Education system is the MAIN ideological state apparatus as the education system creates an obedient workforce by giving practical skills and socialising pupils into the ruling class ideology, learning that capitalism is normal.
Bourdieu: cultural capital.
To keep society unequal by justifying class inequality.
RC have the power to impose their culture onto education so knowledge of culture comes from the dominant social class.
E.g: RSC to see a play which helps with GCSE exams on Shakespeare.
This reproduces class inequality as the WC have less cultural capital, meaning they end up with WC jobs.
Also legitimises class inequality as it brainwashes people into believing in meritocracy, leading the WC to believe that it’s their fault if they fail.
Bowles and Gintis: the hidden curriculum.
To produce an obedient workforce that will accept inequality.
‘Lessons’ learnt without actually being taught. E.g: showing up on time because a teacher told you to, listening to authority, etc.
Schools encourage traits that make an obedient workforce. Independence = lower grades.
The Correspondence Principle:
Situations at school corresponding with situations at work.
Evaluation:
General Criticism - Class is not the only factor experiencing inequality.
Bourdieu - too deterministic, many WC students successful in education.
Bowles and Gintis - subjects teach critical thinking which is not a trait for an obedient workforce. Also plenty of evidence to suggest that pupils do not obey teachers which defies the correspondence principle.
Willis: The Lads
A criticism of Bowles and Gintis by arguing that schools are not producing an obedient workforce.
Neo-Marxist, 12 working class boys formed an anti school subculture.
Disrupted lessons as they wanted to get on with ‘real life’ (work).
‘Masculinity’ prioritised physical work over intellectual work. Status earned through objectifying women, drinking, etc.
- Could cope with boring WC jobs, more motivate to work as earnt money.
- Guaranteed themselves unskilled jobs.
Evaluation:
- romanticised the lads
- unrepresentative as tiny sample.
