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Flashcards in Marxism Deck (6)
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1
Q

Marxist perspective

A
  • education is based on class division and capitalist exploitation
    Karl Marx:
    *bourgeoisie are the minority class
    *working-class are forced to sell their labour-power to the capitalists since they own no means of production of their own
  • creates a potential conflict
  • ultimately the proletariat would unite to overthrow the capitalist system
2
Q

similarities and differences between Marxist and functionalist views on education

A

similarities:

  • Marxists agree with functionalists that education is an agency of secondary socialisation
  • Marxist and functionality agree that education has an economic function

differences:
- functionalists believe in meritocracy whereas Marxists don’t

3
Q

transmission of capitalist values

A
  • Althusser
  • education system acts as ideological state apparatus
  • education reproduces class inequality
  • education legitimises/justifies class inequalities
  • schools transmit the bourgeoisie ideology that the capitalist system is just and reasonable
4
Q

preparation for the workplace

A
  • Bowles and Gintis
  • capitalism requires a workforce with attitudes, behaviour, and personality type suited to their role as alienated and exploited workers willing to accept hard work, low pay, and orders from “above”
  • reproduction theory
  • role of education is to prepare and reproduce an obedient workforce that will accept inequality as inevitable
5
Q

the correspondence principle

A

example:
- students have to attend school and classes on time otherwise they are punished = workers often have to clock in and lose pay if they are late whereas bosses have flexible hours

6
Q

myth of meritocracy

A
  • serves to justify the privileges of the higher classes
  • helps persuade the working class to accept inequality as legitimate
  • makes it less likely that they will overthrow capitalism
  • blames poverty on the individual rather than capitalism, “poor are dumb” theory of failure
  • correspondence principle and myth of meritocracy are promoted through the “hidden curriculum”