Marxism Flashcards
(28 cards)
What do they see society as being?
Economically deterministic
All S’s institutions reflect + reinforce economic (Capitalist base)
Including education
What is their view on education?
Social institutions (Ed) reproduce class inequalities Persuades alienated students + exploited workers, inequality = justified + acceptable
When did Althusser write?
1971
What does ISA stand for?
Ideological State Apparatus
What are the 2 functions that education performs as an ISA according to Althusser?
- Reproduction
2. Legitimation
How does education reproduce inequality?
Althusser
Fails each generation of wc pupils
Ensuring end up in similar low £/skilled jobs as parents
How does education legitimate inequality according t Althusser?
Produces ideologies
Disguise true/ real function
Ed. tires to convince people that inequality = inevitable (natural talent)
Failure = result of individual not system
Supporting evidence for Althusser’s view on education?
Top positions in S = filled by upper mc
Went to public schools + Oxbridge
Ensures elite recruitment into these top positions
How would other conflict theories criticise Althusser’s work?
Like all traditional Marxists
Too much focus on class inequality
Completely disregards other inequalities
(Gender/ ethnicity)
What does Althusser seem to claim?
Is this true?
We = all brainwashed into accepting our place in social hierarchy
BUT do we have some control over our educational achievements?
When did Bowles and Gintis write?
1976
How is the correspondence principle learnt?
B+G
Trough hidden curriculum
Things that aren’t directly taught
E.g. accepting hierarchy, competition, working for rewards
What do Bowles + Gintis see the education system as?
Preparation for entering wider S
Creates new generations of workers
Ready to accept + serve capitalism
Do Bowles and Gintis believe education is meritocratic?
NO!
= Myth
Ed = only made to seem fair
Stops them challenging system
How is the work of Bowles and Giant similar to that of Davis + Moore?
Both show = link between Ed + economy
HOWEVER, B+G view Rship negatively
Many pupils view experience at school as alienating + oppressive
What is a weakness of all Traditional Marxist views?
Too economically deterministic
Ignores other inequalities (gender/ ethnicity)
When did Willis write?
1976
Was Willis a traditional Marxist?
No
Neo-Marxist
What did study did Willis carry out?
Unstructured group interviews + observations
IOT uncover anti-school subculture of ‘lads’
Interviews allowed boys talk freely about experiences
What are the 2 advantages to Willis’ study?
- Lots of in depth data
2. High in validity
What are the 5 disadvantages of Willis’ study?
- Unreliable
- Can’t be easily repeated
- Time consuming
- Small sample (12) - unrepresentative
- ‘lads’ = mucking around during interview, reduces validity of results
Describe Bowles + Gintis’ study…
Studied 237 New York high schools
Found schools rewarded personality traits that make for a submissive, comment worker
Used questionnaires + compared them to grades/ exam scores
Advantages: large sample, generalisable, reliable results
Disadvantages: Lack meaning.
When did Bourdieu write?
1977
What is the main role of education for Bourdieu?
Reproduce class structure Justify class inequalities
